Director Water Resources Research Center,
Professor and Specialist

Phone: 520-792-9591 ext.21
Fax: 520-792-8518

Address: University of Arizona Water Resources Research Center
350 N. Campbell
Tucson, Arizona 85721

Email smegdal@ag.arizona.edu
Website: Water Resources Research Center

link to complete CV (pdf)

updated 6/2008

EDUCATION:

A.B., Economics, Douglass College (Rutgers University)
M.A., Economics, Princeton University
Ph.D., Economics, Princeton University

EXPERIENCE:

Director, Water Resources Research Center, University of Arizona, 7/2004–present.
C.W. and Modene Neely Endowed Professor for Excellence inAgriculture and Life Science, March 2008 - .
Professor/Specialist, Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics, University of Arizona, 2/2002–present.
Professor/Specialist, Department of Soil, Water and Environmental Science, University of Arizona, 11-2006-present.
Professor, Public Administration and Policy, University of Arizona (Courtesy Appointment.), 7/2005-present.
Professor, Geography & Regional Development, University of Arizona (Courtesy Appointment), 11/2006- present.
Professor (Adjunct), Planning Degree Program, University of Arizona, 11/2006-present.
Member, Arid Lands Resource Sciences Graduate Interdisciplinary Program, 10/2006-present.
Associate Director, Water Resources Research Center, University of Arizona, 2/2002–6/2004.
President, MegEcon Consulting, 2/1987–2002.
Executive Director, Santa Cruz Valley Water District, 11/91–6/94. The District, a political subdivision of the State, was formed to facilitate water resource management efforts in Southern Arizona. It was established in June 1991 for a 30-month planning period, at the end of which it was determined that the area water interests could not agree on a governance structure for the District. Responsibilities included management of the agency’s activities, including administration, policy development and planning, project construction and operations, and representation of the agency before local, state and federal bodies.
Co-chair, Governor’s Transportation Vision 21 Task Force, February 1999–December 2001.
Member, Governor’s Water Management Commission, June 2000–December 2001.
Chairman, Arizona State Transportation Board, 1996; Vice Chairman, 1995; Member, January 1991–January 1997.
Director, Tucson Electric Power Company, 10/89–11/91.
Chairman, Arizona Joint Select Committee on State Revenues and Expenditures, 1989. The Committee was charged with examining state taxation and spending and formulating recommendations for improving Arizona’s fiscal structure.
Visiting Associate Professor, College of Business Administration, Northern Arizona University, (halftime) 1987–1988. Responsibilities included teaching economics to MBA students, research and special projects.
Commissioner, Arizona Corporation Commission, 10/85–1/87. Appointed by Governor Bruce Babbitt. The Arizona Corporation Commission has responsibility for the regulation of public utilities, business incorporation, securities, and railroad safety.
Assistant Professor of Economics, University of Arizona, 1/79–6/87; on leave 10/85–1/87. Responsibilities included teaching advanced Econometric Theory, Probability and Statistics, Public Sector Economics, and various undergraduate economics courses and researching topics in Public Sector Economics and Applied Econometrics.
Assistant in Instruction, Princeton University, 1976–1977.
Assistant in Research, Princeton University, 1975

PUBLISHED AND POSTED MATERIALS AND PAPERS: (2007-2008)

“Study Raises Issues to Consider in Fourth Management Plan,” Arizona Water Resource, May-June 2008.
Tucson Regional Water Planning Perspectives Study, with Aaron Lien, Funded by the TRIF Water Sustainability Program through the Water Resources Research Center, May 16, 2008. Posted, www.cals.arizona.edu/azwater.
“Arizona’s Groundwater Savings Recharge Program,” with Taylor Shipman, Southwest Hydrology, May-June 2008.
“Uncertainties Abound in Water Planing,” Arizona Daily Star, Guest View, April 20, 2008.
“Front-Row View of Federal Water Lawmaking Shows Process Works – U.S. Mexico Transboundary Aquifer Assessment Act Pondered, Passed and Signed” (updated/revised version of 2007 column), in Norman, Laura M., Hirsch, Derrick D., and Ward, A. Wesley, eds., 2008, Proceedings of a USGS Workshop on facing tomorrow's challenges along the U.S.-Mexico border; monitoring, modeling, and forecasting change within the Arizona-Sonora transboundary watersheds:U.S Geological Survey Circular 1322, http://pubs.usgs.gov/circ/1322/.Evolution and Evaluation of the Active Management Area Management Plans, with Zachary Smith and Aaron Lien, Report submitted to the Arizona Water Institute and the Arizona Department of Water Resources, January 2008, posted, www.cals.arizona.edu/azwater and www.azwater.gov.
“Conserve to Enhance: Conserve Water to Enhance the Environment,” Arizona Water Resource, January-February 2008.
“Some Ideas on Water,” Arizona Daily Star, January 13, 2008.
“Conserve to Enhance: Voluntary Municipal Water Conservation to Support Environmental Restoration,” with Andrew Schwarz, Journal of the American Water Works Association, Volume 100, No. 1, January 2008, 42-53.
"Determinants of Environmental Noncompliance by Public Water Systems," Contemporary Economic Policy, with Tauhid Rahman, Satheesh Aradhyula, Mini Kohli and Jackie Moxley, forthcoming, 2008.
“Restoration and River Management in the Arid Southwestern U.S.: Exploring Project Design Trends and Features,” with Andrea Gerlak, Susanna Eden, Kelly Mott Lacroix, and Andrew Schwarz, Water Policy, forthcoming, 2008.
Water Conservation Banking: Municipal Water Conservation to Support Environmental Enhancement, with Andrew Schwarz, Report submitted to the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, December 2007, posted, www.cals.arizona.edu/azwater/.
“Restoration Regulation Should Serve Arizona’s Waterways and Riparian Areas,” Essay in Sustainability for Arizona: The Issue of Our Age, Arizona Policy Choices Series, Morrison Institute, Arizona State University, November 2007, p. 57. To be reprinted in the Arizona Republic, forthcoming 2008.
“Water Professionals, Citizens Mutually Benefit at Tucson Water Forum,” Arizona Water Resource, November-December 2007.
“No: This [Proposition 200] is not a solution to our water challenges,” Arizona Daily Star, September 16, 2007.
“Beachside, Columnist Ponders Arizona's Water Resources' Horizon,” Arizona Water Resource, September-October 2007.
‘Don’t miss this lecture on sustainable water use,” Guest Opinion, Arizona Daily Star, August 29, 2007.
“WRRC’s Year-in-Review Highlights Varied and Productive Projects,” Arizona Water Resource, July- August, 2007.
“Municipal Water Reuse in Tucson, Arizona,” in M. K. Zaidi, ed., Wastewater Reuse – Risk Assessment, Decision-Making and Environmental Security, Springer, AK/Nato Publishing Unit, 2007, 81-90.
“Good Intentions, Unintended Consequences: The Central Arizona Groundwater Replenishment District,” with Christopher Avery, Carla Consoli and Robert Glennon, Arizona Law Review, Vol 49, No. 2, 339-359, Summer 2007.
“Next Generation of Water Experts Explore Varied Real-World Issues,” Arizona Water Resource, May-June 2007.
“WRRC Strives to Provide Useful Outreach,” Arizona Water Resource, March-April, 2007.
“Artificial Recharge: A Multi-Purpose Water Management Tool,” Arroyo, Water Resources Research Center, Winter 2007 (co-author).
“Front-Row View of Federal Water Lawmaking Shows Process Works – U.S. Mexico Transboundary Aquifer Assessment Act Pondered, Passed and Signed,” Arizona Water Resource, January-February 2007; reprinted in modified form in “Proceedings of a USGS Workshop on Facing Tomorrow’s Challenges along the U.S.-Mexico Border: Monitoring, Modeling and Forecasting Change within the Arizona-Sonora Transboundary Watersheds,” forthcoming, 2008.

SPEECHES AND PRESENTATIONS: (2007-2008)

Conference Chair, The Importance of the Colorado River to Arizona’s Future, WRRC Annual Conference, Phoenix, AZ, June 24, 2008. (Forthcoming)
Presentation, “Planning for Arizona’s Growing Water Demands,” Arizona Desert Horticulture Conference, Tucson, AZ, May 16, 2008.
Presentation, “The UA Water Sustainability Program and the Programs of the Water Resources Research Center,” Water Summit, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Tucson, AZ, May 1, 2008.
Brief remarks, “Tucson Regional Water Planning Perspectives Study,” Water Study Oversight Committee, Tucson, AZ, April 18, 2008.
Presentation, “Conserve to Enhance,” with Joanna Bate, WRRC Brown Bag Seminar, Tucson, AZ, April 3, 2008,
Presentation, “Santa Cruz County and Transboundary Water Planning,” Zonta International Club, Nogales, Arizona, April 2, 2008.
Presentation, “Understanding the Economics of Water Allocation,” The Economics of Water and the Environment Workshop for High School and Middle School Teachers, The Thomas R. Brown Foundation and Arizona Council on Economic Education, Tucson, AZ, March 31, 2008.
Presentation, Water Planning and Management in the Tucson Region, Real Estate Professionals Group of the Jewish Federation of Southern Arizona, Tucson, AZ, March 25, 2008.
Panel Discussant, Tucson Growth Forum, Sponsored by the Arizona Daily Star, Tucson, AZ, March 14, 2008.
Presentation, “Are We Running Out of Water?”, Annual Overview of the Real Estate Market, Fox Theatre, Tucson, AZ, March 4, 2008.
Presentation, Evolution and Evaluation of the AMA Management Plans, Pinal Active Management Area Groundwater Users Advisory Council, Nogales, AZ, February 28, 2008.
Panel, “What needs to be done to protect our water?”, Environmental Issues Day, Greater Tucson Leadership, Tucson, AZ, February 22, 2008.
Presentation, Evolution and Evaluation of the AMA Management Plans, Santa Cruz Active Management Area Groundwater Users Advisory Council, Nogales, AZ, February 13, 2008.
Presentation, Research and Outreach Programs of the Water Resources Research Center and Opportunities for Collaboration, Tucson Chapter of the Arizona Hydrological Society, Tucson, AZ, February 12, 2008.
Presentation, Conserve to Enhance: Voluntary Municipal Water Conservation to Support Environmental Enhancement, Environmental Breakfast Group, Tucson, AZ, February 7, 2008.
Presentation, The Water Resources Research Center at The University of Arizona: Opportunities for Collaboration, DLA Piper Law Firm, Phoenix, AZ, February 6, 2008.
Remarks, Dinner with Board of Directors of the C.W. and Modene Neely Charitable Foundation, Scottsdale, AZ, January 27, 2008.
Presentation, The Evolution and Evaluation of the AMA Management Plans, Arizona Department of Water Resources, Tucson AMA Groundwater Users Advisory Council, January 23, 2008.
Presentation, Water Management and Water Politics, Young Leaders Boot Camp, Greater Tucson Leadership, January 22, 2008.
Presentation, Update on Research on Groundwater Savings Recharge in Arizona, AgriBusiness Council of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, December 7, 2007.
Presentation, “Collaborative Approaches to Water Resources Research, Education and Outreach,” Western States Water Council, Phoenix, AZ, November 16, 2007.
Presentation, "Groundwater Recharge as a Tool for Meeting Arizona Water Policy Objectives,” 6th Biennial International Recharge Symposium on Managed Aquifer Recharge (ISMAR6), Phoenix, AZ, October 29, 2007.
Conference chair, Moderator and Presenter, Tucson Community Conversation on Water, Tucson, Arizona, October 26, 2007.
Presentation, “Water Resource Availability for the Tucson Metropolitan Area: Community Engagement in Water Resource Planning,” Urban Land Institute (ULI), Southern AZ Fall Meeting, Tucson, AZ, October 10, 2007.
Panelist, “Addressing Water Scarcity,” Investor Owned Water Utilities Association (IOWUA) Strategic Summit, Maricopa, AZ, October 9, 2007.
Presentation, “Community Engagement in Water Planning: The Tucson Region as a Case Study,” Mac Field Days, Maricopa Agricultural Center, Maricopa, Arizona, October 3, 2007.
Presentation, “Water Resource Availability for the Tucson Metropolitan Area: Community Engagement in Water Resource Planning,” 2007 Regional Water Symposium, Sustainable Water, Unlimited Growth, Quality of Life: Can We Have it All? Tucson, Arizona, August 31, 2007.
Presentation, “The United States-México Transboundary Aquifer Assessment Program,” Water Committee of the Arizona-Mexico Commission, Tucson, Arizona, June 14, 2007.
Welcoming Remarks, Annual National Conference of Project WET, Tucson, Arizona, June 7, 2007.
Conference Chair, The 20th Anniversary of the Environmental Quality Act and ADEQ: Assessing and Protecting Arizona’s Water Quality, Phoenix, Arizona, June 5, 2007.
Presentation, “Water Management in Arizona and Growth,” Covering Growth in the West: An Educational Symposium for Journalists, Tucson, Arizona, May 18, 2007.
Presentation, “Addressing Water Management Challenges: Where Policy and Science Meet,” 2007 Annual Meeting of Texas River and Reservoir Management Society and South Central Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry, Nacogdoches, Texas, May 17, 2007.
Presentation, “University of Arizona Water Programs and Connections to Rural Economic Development,” Annual Meeting of the Western Rural Development Multistate Research Coordinating Committee, Reno, Nevada, May 7, 2007.
Presentation, Water Resources Policy and Management in Arizona: Focus on the Arizona-Sonora Border, U.S.-Mexico Field Coordinating Committee of the U.S. Dept. of Interior, Tucson, Arizona, April 24, 2007.
Presentation, Water Issues Related to Growth, Water Summit 2007, Investor Owned Water Utility Association, Phoenix, Arizona, April 23, 2007.
Presentation, “United States-Mexico Transboundary Aquifer Assessment Program,” USGS Workshop on Facing Tomorrow’s Challenges along the U.S.-Mexico Border: Monitoring, Modeling and Forecasting Change within the Arizona-Sonora Transboundary Watersheds, USGS Border Conference, Tucson, Arizona, March 21, 2007.
Presentation, “The WRRC and Arizona County-level Cooperative Extension,” Annual Meeting of Arizona Cooperative Extension County Directors, Rio Rico, Arizona, February 21, 2007.
Presentation, “Arizona Water Planning,” Spring Ag Outlook Forum, Arizona Chapter of the American Society of Farm Managers and Rural Appraisers, Phoenix, Arizona, February 16, 2007, published on conference CD.
Presentation, “Promoting Water Resource Research Institutes Locally: The Importance of Outreach,” Annual Meeting of the National Institutes for Water Resources, Washington, DC, February 14, 2007.
Presentation, “Meeting Growing Water Demands in Central Arizona, with a Focus on Tucson,” The University of Arizona Annual Forecasting Meeting, Eller College of Management, Tucson, Arizona, November 29, 2006.
Presentation, “Meeting Growing Water Demands in Central Arizona,” 21st Annual Arizona Agribusiness Forum, Dept. of Agricultural and Resource Economics, Ak Chin Indian Reservation, Arizona, November 16, 2006.
Presentation, “The Colorado River & Arizona Water Management: Meeting Growing Water Demands in Central Arizona,” ULI (Urban Land Institute) Annual Fall Meeting, Denver, CO, October 20, 2006.
Symposium Presentation, “Good Intentions, Unintended Consequences: The Central Arizona Groundwater Replenishment District,” Water Law & Policy: A Symposium, James E. Rogers College of Law, Tucson, Arizona, October 7, 2007.