Welcome to Arizona NEMO!

Education and Outreach about the Connection

between Land Use and Water Quality

A partnership with University of Arizona Cooperative Extension,

the Water Resource Research Center, and the

Arizona Department of Environmental Quality

Hot Topics!

New Funding Opportunities

News

Reports

Websites

Online Newsletters

Online Tools

Seminars, Workshops and Volunteer Projects

Agency Public Comment Opportunities

WaterSense Fact, from EPA Water Headlines

 

 

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Verde River Watershed Visualization. Come fly with us through the Verde River watershed! Under a new NSF Geosciences Education Program grant, SAHRA at the Univ. of Arizona is developing a 3-D visualization of the Verde watershed.

New EPA Online Module (slideshow) on the Effect of Climate Change on Water Resources and Programs.

Conservation Buffers: Design Guidelines for Buffers, Corridors, and Greenways is a US Forest Service, USDA and NRCS publication for planning and designing buffers in rural and urban landscapes.Vegetative buffer can be applied to protect soil, improve air and water quality, enhance fish and wildlife habitat, produce economic products, provide recreation opportunities, or beautify the landscape. This publication is available for order as a spiral-bound field guide, as a downloadable PDF.

AZ DroughtWatch tracks drought impacts across Arizona. One of the program’s activities is to report anecdotal observations about drought conditions by non-specialist volunteers.  Dr.Mike Crimmins, of the Department of Soil, Water, and Environmental Sciences at the University of Arizona, is developing a network of “citizen-scientists” to participate in this project. To join go to (http://azdroughtwatch.org/ ). 

Internet Mapping Service (IMS) Training. Wednesday, September 16th, 2009 from 2:30 to 5:00 pm Cooperative Extension's Arizona NEMO will offer this exciting opportunity to learn watershed mapmaking skills. If you are interested in learning how to locate lakes and streams in any Arizona watershed, print USGS topographical maps, and learn mapmaking skills classes, this 2 ½  hour afternoon session is for you. These maps can show geology, vegetation types, and soils, precipitation, average annual temperature, or USGS stream gauges. Grant writers may learn to create maps to attach to their next grant applications.

The course introduces an ArcIMS Internet Map Server. Course content includes how to access the NEMO ArcIMS site, review basic ArcIMS functions like panning, zooming and display, review how to do attribute and spatial queries, and teach watershed mapmaking and printing.  This workshop is free but you do need to register to attend.  Contact Terry Sprouse  tsprouse@Ag.arizona.edu  621-9591 x 13 to register.

New Informational Sheets on Agricultural Best Practices to Protect Groundwater Now Available. Three new wellcare® informational sheets on agricultural best management practices to protect groundwater are now available through Water Systems Council. The first sheet in the series “Protecting Groundwater through Agricultural Best Management Practices”. Other sheets in this series include “Proper Use and Disposal  of Pesticides and Fertilizers” and two new sheets for 2009: “Protecting Groundwater by Managing Animal Waste” and “Protecting Groundwater through Proper Petroleum Storage Practices on the Farm.” There are 80 information sheets currently available.

Walnut Gulch Adventure. The Arizona Rural Water Association (formerly the Arizona Small Utilities Association) is sponsoring a tour of the Walnut Gulch Watershed Experimental Station with Arizona NEMO on August 25. Walnut Gulch, located near Tombstone, has been studied for over 50 years under a program funded by the USDA, Agricultural Research Service, and the University of Arizona. If interested in participating, contact Kristine Uhlman at kuhlman@ag.arizona.edu or 621-9591 x51.

Arizona NEMO's Wet/Dry monitoring is listed on President Obama's "United We Serve" website that helps volunteers to connect with service projects.

Water Foodprint Network. People use water for drinking, cooking and washing, but even more for producing things such as food, paper, cotton clothes, etc. The water footprint is an indicator of water use that looks at both direct and indirect water use of a consumer or producer. The water footprint of an individual, community or business is defined as the total volume of freshwater that is used to produce the goods and services consumed by the individual or community or produced by the business.

Use MyEnvironment to Find Local Enviromental Data Online. Enter a location such as address, zip, city, county, waterbody, park name, etc. (e.g., 22207, Arlington, VA or Difficult Run). EPA's MyEnvironment provides a cross-section of environmental information based on the user’s location.

EPA's "Healthy Watersheds" web site provides information on tools to identify and protect healthy watersheds and their components (i.e., landscape condition, ecological processes, biotic condition, etc). The site is designed to aid state officials, local governments, watershed practitioners, and regional agencies.

EPA Launches Interactive Web Tools in Celebration of Earth Month. EPA's Earth Day Web site offers you many tips and fun ways to protect the environment and your health every day.

NEW WET/DRY Training - Arizona NEMO, in conjuntion with local watershed groups, is offering WET/DRY training classes for the following dates and locations: March 20 in Portal, April 16 in Duncan, April 18 in Arcosante, and April 30 in Black Canyon City. On June 21, 2009 teams of sceintists and volunteers will walk the rivers to map where they flow and where they don't flow. Using GPS technology, they will develop a long term database to understand flows and trends of the rivers. Join us to learn how to operate a GPS unit, measure your pace, and fill out the data forms. This link provides a map showing where classes will takes place, and provides contact information to sign up.

Watershed Handbook - EPA's Office of Wetlands, Oceans, and Watersheds released a online document this week to help communities, watershed organizations, and local, state, tribal, and federal environmental agencies develop and implement watershed plans to meet water quality standards and protect water resources. The "Handbook for Developing Watershed Plans to Restore and Protect Our Waters" is available at http://www.epa.gov/owow/nps/watershed_handbook/

Photos from the NEMO Wet/Dry Mapping on the Agua Fria River, Training Feb. 5, 2008

Thanks to Bruce Colbert (Big Bug News), Scott Jones (Sierra Club), Gina Chorover and Garry Rogers for sending us their photos!

Big Bug News, 70 volunteers brave cold to learn mapping, gps skills, Feb. 12, 2008

Big Bug News, Jan. 23, 2008

EPA Application of Watershed Ecological Risk Assessment Methods to Watershed Management

This report supplements the Guidelines for Ecological Risk Assessment (see hstory links) by addressing issues unique to watershed-scale ecological risk assessment. Using lessons learned from watershed ecological assessments, the report presents guidance and examples for scientists performing ecological assessments at the watershed-scale. The report also can be useful to risk assessors, watershed associations, landscape ecologists, and others seeking to increase the use of environmental assessment data in decision making.

"Stormwater Management from a Watershed Perspective: Extreme Western Climates" wins awards! This is the fifth program in the award-winning Watershed Issues Satellite workshops offered by the Pacific Northwest Regional Water Quality Program. This video looks at Anchorage, Alaska, and Arizona. Working with the Coordinator of Arizona's NEMO (Non-point Education for Municipal Officials), the cameras record strategies used to control the massive runoff caused by summer 'monsoon' rains. Watch the video here.

NRCS Rapid Watershed Assessments for Arizona.

The Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) in Arizona, in partnership with the University of Arizona Water Resources Research Center, has completed Rapid Watershed Assessments (RWAs) for several priority watersheds in the state. The RWAs incorporate existing information, along with new data to produce a profile of the watershed and an assessment of conservation status and needs.

Statewide Water Advisory Group (SWAG) The SWAG was formed at the request of Gov. Napolitano as a means of assisting local residents to reach common ground on water needs, and is guided by the Arizona Department of Water Resources.

Arizona Water Atlas. A compilation of currently available water-related information for Arizona. More Info ...

Clean Water Act / Endangered Species Act - Supreme Court Links

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See our Funding Sources page for more funding opportunities.

The Arizona Grants Access Tool and Experts Source (AzGATES) is an online database connecting those in need of funding with local, national and international sponsors who can help serve that need. More than 800 active users have already discovered AzGATES to help find the funding they need. With 900 current sponsors/funding resources, AzGATES caters specifically to Arizona residents, communities, and organizations by providing the most relevant funding opportunities possible. Access is free and includes a member profile. Sign up today!

Arizona Grant Programs.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is making nearly $3 million available in 2009 to reduce pollution at the local level through the Community Action for a Renewed Environment (CARE) program. CARE is a community-based program that builds partnerships to help the public understand and reduce toxic risks from numerous sources.

NEW! EPA Watershed Funding Home Page

Designed to help nonprofit watershed organizations, state and local governments, and funders (such as foundations) more easily find information on how to effectively obtain and invest resources to improve watershed health.

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Volunteer Water Qualitylity Monitoring Programs supported by Land Grant Universties. The site provide a map and a list of programs.

WRVO Radio

Water Drops Podcast. May 2, 2008 (new two minute programs updated weekly). A joint project of SUNY Oswego, the SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry in Syracuse, and Peter E. Black.

Tucson Citizen

Groups, feds join to push law aimed at saving lands, Mar. 4, 2008

Arizona National Monuments, including the Agua Fria National Monument

Big Bug News

70 volunteers brave cold to learn mapping, gps skills, Feb. 12, 2008

Tucson Weekly

Water Ways: Is it time the Feds cleaned up their act?, Nov. 8, 2007 

NEMO News Items

--NEMO WET/DRY Video

--Managing Stormwater in an Arid Climate Video (featuring Kristine Uhlman)

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The Ecological and Hydrological Significance of Ephemeral and Intermittent Streams in the Arid and semi-arid American Southwest. Published by the EPA and USDA/ARS Southwest Watershed Research Center. 2008.

Emerging Contaminants in Chicago Area Rivers, a Sierra Club Study, 2008 (near bottom of river monitoring page)

USGS Online Interactive Map Service for Displaying Groundwater Conditions in Arizona

Show Low Creek Watershed Enhancement Partnership, Watershed Management Plan, 2008

Montana Watercourse Volunteer Water Monitoring Guidebook

Water Environment Research Foundation technical brief on Emerging Contaminants, 2005

Ecological Limits of Hydrologic Alteration, new fact sheet from The Nature Conservancy. The fact sheet is based on and briefly summarizes the draft journal
article, "The Ecological Limits of Hydrologic Alteration (ELOHA): A New Framework for Developing Regional Environmental Flow Standards", which has been submitted to Freshwater Biology. Click for a pdf of the fact sheet.

Pollution Source Control Practices, free download from the Center for Watershed Protection. This Manual, released in 2005, now joins Manuals 1, 2, 3, and 4 in the
Manual Series that are now available for free download.

Toxic Release Inventory (TRI) 2006 an on-line electronic database, housing information about chemical releases at facilities across the country. TRI tracks and contains detailed information on releases of nearly 650 chemicals and chemical categories from about 23,000 industrial and federal facilities. The Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act of 1986 established the TRI program. In 1990, The Pollution Prevention Act expanded the program by including data on toxic chemicals released, as well as treated, recycled, and burned for energy recovery.

Tucson Water Planning Documents

1) Water Plan: 2000-2050--the Utility's comprehensive long-range planning report issued in November 2004

2) 2008 Update to Water Plan: 2000-2050--includes revised planning assumptions in response to changes in the planning environment (issued in February 2008).

Layperson's Guide to Arizona Water, new publication from the Water Education Foundation and the University of Arizona Water Resources Research Center.

National Forests on the Edge, November 2007

Workshop Publication: Water and Ecosystems - Managing Water in Diverse Ecosystems to Ensure Human Well-being

A Strategy for Federal Science and Technology to Support Water Availability and Quality

Water Quality Monitoring Manual, Narrow River Preservation Association

Understanding Arizona's Riparian Areas

University of Arizona Cooperative Extension, 2007, edited by George Zaimes.

EPA document "Total Maximum Daily Loads with Stormwater Sources: A Summary of 17 TMDLs"

This report summarizes 17 TMDLs that have been developed for stormwater sources in 16 states throughout the country during the past eight year. They represent a range of pollutants, models used, and different allocation and implementation methods.

Arizona NEMO: Integrated Watershed Management and Planning. May-June 2007 Arizona Water Resource Supplement

Download  small pdf  or   large pdf

Water Above, Water Below in Arizona's Big Bug Creek Area. Booklet produced by Clifford Hersted for the Upper Agua Fria Watershed Partnership, 2006. This is a large pdf. Click for a small pdf.

Arizona Republic Special on Arizona Rivers. A 7-day series on the value of rivers in Arizona, starting Aug. 6, 2006.

ADEQ groundwater quality studies. The ADEQ Ambient Monitoring Program has completed studies and has reports available covering 15 groundwater basins in Arizona. These reports are available in both a comprehensive Open File Report (OFR) as well as a compact four-page fact sheet (FS). Any questions about these studies should be directed to Douglas Towne at (602) 771-4412.

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Rainwater harvesting learning modules on "moodle." The U of A Arid Lands Info Center has an online learning module for simple backyard rainwater harvesting techniques. The module makes use of"how-to" video clips, photos, demonstrations, animations, and interactive quizzes.

NEMO IMS website

NEMO ArcIMS Workshop handouts and worksheets

National Weather Service Tucson Forecast Office Monsoon Season Website

Tribal Compliance Assistance Center and Pollution Prevention information

Website of FAQs on Water related topics

EPA WaterSense Website. Water-efficient products and services

EPA Source Water Protection Website

EPA Water Quality Assessment and TMDL Information Website. EPA has released a new database/website for water quality assessment and total maximum daily loads information. The site, known as ATTAINS, combines two formerly separate databases: the National Assessment Database (for water quality assessment information reported by the states under Section 305(b)), and the National Total Maximum Daily Loads (TMDLs) Tracking System (for impaired waters information reported by the states under Section 303(d)). The site includes state-reported information on support of designated uses; identified causes and sources of impairment; identified impaired waters; and status of actions (TMDLs) to restore impaired waters. The website allows the user to view dynamic, continuously-updated tables and charts that summarize state-reported information for the nation as a whole, for individual states and waters, and for the 10 EPA regions.

ADEQ Groundwater Basin Factsheets & Reports, Ambient groundwater quality studies in Arizona.

ADWR Statewide Drought Program website

Western Water Assessment - Website with information and links to identify and characterize regional vulnerabilities to climate variability and change, and to develop information, products and processes to assist water-resource decision-makers thorughout the Intermountain West.

ADEQ GIS Web page - Website providing environmental data and information on facilities and clean up sites throughout Arizona, from ADEQ's program divisions: Air Quality, Tank Programs, Waste Programs and Water Quality.

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Alliance for Water Efficiency Online Newsletter

United Nations Water Portal

2005-2015 is the International Decade for Action "Water for Life"

Arizona Water News including the Southwest, from Brown and Caldwell.

Southwest Hydrology. A bimonthly trade magazine for hydrologists, water managers and other professionals working with water issues in Semi-arid areas.

Arizona Water Institute Newsletter. Go to the "Publications" link at AWI Home.

AWI is a consortium of Arizona's three universities focused on water sustainability through research, technical assistance, education and technology development.

EPA Water Headlines Website - weekly online publication

EPA Watershed News

American Water Resources Association (AWRA) Newsletter Archives

Environmental Insight, Watershed Information on-line newsletter

Water Online e-newsletter focused on industrial and municipal wastewater treatment, drinking water purificaiton, stormwater management, and more.

On Tap - online magazine from the National Drinking Water Clearinghouse, reporting on technical, financial, maintenance, operations and management, source water protection, and health issues relevant to small drinking water systems.

Legislative Update, provided by the Grand Canyon Chapter, Sierra Club

Colorado Nonpoint Source Connection Newsletter

Stormwater Online Magazine

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Web Soil Survey. Web Soil Survey (WSS) provides soil data and information by the National Cooperative Soil Survey. It is operated by the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS). NRCS has soil maps and data available online for more than 95 percent of the nation’s counties. The site is updated and maintained online as the single authoritative source of soil survey information.

ADOT's New Arizona Native Vegetation Biotic Communities On-line Interactive Map is now avaialable. To obtain site elevation and topography information, zoom in close to the specific map area. The Contours Layer will automatically appear in the left frame. Turn on the Coutours Layer and refresh the map.

NEW! USGS Flood Map An online, user-friendly map that tracks flood conditions, developed by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS).

TMDL Knowledgebase Clearinghouse

EPA Urban BMP Performance Tool

EPA Nonpoint Source Outreach Toolbox for use by state and local agencies, and other organizations interested in educating the public on nonpoint source pollution or stormwater runoff.

EPA Web-based Watershed Plan Builder, an interactive web-based tool to improve efforts by state and local communities in protecting and restoring local water resources, helps develop integrated watershed plans to meet state and EPA requirements.

EPA Watershed Management Tool, "Better Assessment Science Integrating Point and Nonpoint Sources" (BASINS)

A multipurpose system that integrates environmental data, analytical tools, and modeling programs to help regions, states, and local agencies develop cost-effective approaches to watershed managment and environmental protection.

Pima County Regional Flood Control District Alert System - Rainfall totals for Eastern Pima County.

Online Basic Hydrologic Sciences Course, MetEd (Meteorology Education & Training) by the COMET (Cooperative Program for Operational Meteorology, Education & Training). For people without formal training in hydrology, defines key terminology, explains critical hydrologic processes, includes case studies, and some modules in Spanish.

USGS EarthNow! Landsat Image Viewer - See almost live images from Landsat 5 and 7 satellites as they pass over the United States.

To sign up for the EPA's Water Headlines listserve, send an email message, leave the subject line blank, and address it to: waterheadlines-join@lists.epa.gov. In the body of the message write: Subscribe Waterheadlines first name last name
(Please leave one blank space between each word, do not include any other message, and use your actual name- i.e. Subscribe Waterheadlines Robert Jones)

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University of Arizona Cooperative Extension Calendar

Upper Agua Fria Open Space in the 21st Century. Public Meetings to gather ideas on use, problems and managment of open space on public, private and state lands in the Upper Agua Fria Watershed extending from Prescott Valley and Highway 169 to Cordes Junction and Crown King.

Third Monday , 6:30 PM, Academic Distributing (ADI), 12180 E. Turquoise Circle, Dewey, AZ, corner of Bradshaw Mountain Road and Turquoise Circle. Sabra Schwartz of the AZ Dept. of Game & Fish will be presenting a review of available wildlife inventory data.

Contact Garry Rogers for more information.

Arizona WET - Water Education for Teachers. Workshops.

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These are public comment opportunities that affect our watersheds and waterways, and all the species that depend on them, including us!

National Forest Plan Revisions in Arizona

Coronado National Forest

Apache Sitgreaves National Forest

Coconino National Forest

Kaibab National Forest

Prescott National Forest

Tonto National Forest

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Leaky faucets that drip at the rate of one drip per second can waste more than 3,000 gallons of water each year.

To learn more about WaterSense labeled faucets and the final specification, please visit http://www.epa.gov/watersense/specs/faucet_final.htm

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