Verde Valley AZ (January 16, 2016) – On Tuesday, February 2nd at 10:30 a.m., Katharine (Kathy) Jacobs will be giving a free public presentation titled, “Perspectives on Water Management in Arizona: Opportunities for Innovation” at the Yavapai County Administration Building in Prescott, 1015 Fair Street, in the Board Room.
Although Arizona’s groundwater management program is the envy of many in the west, the primary focus of the water management efforts of the last 35 years has been the Active Management Areas (AMAs), where the majority of the population lives. There have been significant successes in a wide range of issues within the AMAs, but habitat and surface water protection were never intended as outcomes of the Arizona Groundwater Management Act.
Meanwhile, the pressure is building on the aquifers and river systems outside of the AMAs, and climate change is leading to a wide range of additional challenges across the state. Many solutions have been discussed in the past, particularly those focused on the San Pedro and the Verde, but none can be declared a “success” at this point. It is time to reconsider some of the solutions identified in the past and look for opportunities for innovation.
Kathy Jacobs has extensive experience in Arizona water issues. She was a water manager for the Arizona Department of Water Resources for over 20 years, including 14 years as Director of the Tucson Active Management Area (AMA). Additionally, she was the Executive Director of the Arizona Water Institute from 2006-2009, leading a consortium of the three state universities focused on water-related research, education and technology transfer in support of water supply sustainability.
>From 2010 to 2013, Ms. Jacobs served as an Assistant Director in the U.S. Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) in the Executive Office of the President. She was the Director of the National Climate Assessment (NCA), leading a team of 300 authors and more than 1,000 contributors who wrote the Third NCA report, published in 2014. Ms. Jacobs is currently the Director of the Center for Climate Adaptation Science and Solutions (CCASS) and a professor in the department of soil, water and environmental science at the University of Arizona.
This event is sponsored by the Verde River Basin Partnership (Partnership) and is part of their monthly educational program series for the public. The Partnership is a scientific and educational non-profit raising awareness among citizens and community leaders about the Verde River Basin’s interconnected groundwater and surface water systems, and the life they support. To find out more, please visit www.vrbp.org.