newsletter

The Arizona Hydrological Society operates on a cash basis. Money flows in to the Society during the year in the form of dues, grants and donations, and income from our Annual Symposium (often our biggest source of income), seminars, field trips, and other special events. We don’t take out loans, and our investments—which haven’t done well this year—are not a major source of income. The money is expended on the annual operations of the Society, including our scholarship and internship programs, subsidies to each of the Chapters, and administrative expenses. The object is to wind up with more money at the end of the year than we spent, because we know that in some years we won’t make money and we have to cover our program and administrative expenses. Sometimes the Annual Symposium loses money.

But not this year. I am happy to report to you that the 2008 Annual Symposium in Flagstaff, held in conjunction with the American Institute of Professional Geologists, netted your Society $43,533.50, which is more than we have made at any previous meeting anytime anywhere. This leaves the Society in a healthy financial position in the middle of lean times. I want to thank the entire Flagstaff Chapter and everyone associated with the 2008 AHS/AIPG event for putting on a great meeting that coincidentally made money.

There is one other really important component of the Society’s annual flow of cash: the annual dues paid by each member. If you attended the 2008 Symposium, your dues for 2009 were included in your registration payment. But if you weren’t able to attend, it is time to renew your membership by paying your dues of $45. Nick Melcher has been working hard to update addresses and information on the membership lists, and early in January he will be sending out dues reminders to everyone who was a member in 2007 and/or 2008. I urge you to send in your dues payment as soon as possible, and continue your membership in an organization that accomplishes so much for so little.

Your membership may be renewed for 2009 by credit card through the AHS website at http://www.azhydrosoc.org/ or by mailing a check and the attached form, to the Arizona Hydrological Society, PO Box 32898, Tucson, Arizona, 85751. Dues remain at $45.00 year for regular membership and $15.00 for students. Thank you all for a great 2008 and for your continuing support in 2009.

For those who attended the 2008 Flagstaff Symposium, be reminded that membership dues for 2009 were included in the registration fee.

The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation (Reclamation) is the largest wholesale water provider in the western United States. Keeping a finger on the pulse of water issues is critical to us. We monitor news from many sources, and attend meetings, symposiums, and conferences to remain current on issues in our communities, our states and in the west. I attended the annual AHS symposium in September, and it reminded me of how valuable the Arizona Hydrological Society (AHS) is.

The AHS was established in 1987, when hydrologic investigations were burgeoning as a result of Federal environmental laws passed to protect our Nation’s water resources. There was a tangible need for those working on water resource projects to have a venue to share information. It may be a challenge to remember that there was a time before the internet when information was not as readily available as it is today. AHS provided a forum for hydrologic exchange during a time when there were few other venues. The internet has changed the way water resource practitioners acquire and process information. But despite that easy access, there will never be a substitute for face to face dialogues. That is one of the many ways that AHS continues to be relevant.

AHS continues to provide forums that allow water buffalos and neophytes to meet and share. Networking is more important than ever for collaborative regional water resources planning. Global water resource management is increasingly important as we learn from water resource issues faced elsewhere in the world. When AHS teams up with national and international associations, attendees from all over the world have an opportunity to share broad perspectives on issues. The need to share is obvious from the program schedule for this year’s AHS annual symposium. There were so many sessions and so much information, that it was difficult to choose which sessions to attend. I can’t think of a better demonstration of the value of AHS.

But the contributions of AHS go beyond the annual symposium. Monthly meetings and newsletters help us stay in touch with issues. Symposiums, workshops, conferences, field trips and more allow Arizonans to share our unique and progressive approaches to water management and to learn from others. The AHS format is flexible and versatile. As a professional organization, AHS can mold itself to accommodate the contemporary needs of our hydrologic community, and as such, can stay a relevant part of that community.

Written by: Carol Erwin USBR, Phoenix Area Manager, and Deborah Tosline, USBR, Tucson Office, Hydrologist.

A big thanks to the United States Bureau of Reclamation for their great support of the Arizona Hydrological Society.

December Dinner Meeting Announcement
Our next dinner meeting will be held December 9th when Jolene Tallsalt Robertson from the Navajo Nation will come to tell us about their on-going and planned water resource projects. Jolene is also a new chapter officer in Phoenix. Please come here her tell us about her work and welcome her to the board.

Please join us Dec. 9th at El Penasco at Mill & Broadway in Tempe. Hope to see you there!

Chapter Board Meeting: 5:00 PM – 5:40 PM
Happy Hour & Dinner: 5:45 PM – 7:00 PM
Dinner Speaker: 7:00 PM – 8:00 PM

Phoenix Chapter Annual Kickoff!
Please join us Thursday January 15th at the Sonoran Brewhouse for the Phoenix Chapter’s annual kickoff meeting. Come see what’s coming up in 2009 in the Phoenix Chapter. We hope to inspire folks to step up and in to the numerous exciting and rewarding activities we have planned in ’09. In order to entice your attendance, we’ll be springing for dinner (i.e. it’s free to come eat with us!). The Sonoran Brewhouse is located at 322 E. Camelback, so easy access can be gained via the new light rail which will be operational by then. So come try out the light rail, join us for dinner, meet some colleagues, and find a 2009 AHS activity you’d like to champion! We need you’re help and here’s an excellent chance to test the waters. Hope to see you all there.

Field Trip to Global Water Center
On Sat. Nov. 15th Phoenix Chapter members enjoyed a tour of the Global Water Center in Maricopa, AZ. Our tour guide was the General Manager, Mr. Ed Borromeo. Ed showed us around the informational elements of the visitor’s center, the community conference center, the central operations command room, and the waste water treatment facilities themselves from in “influent” point to the discharge point where recycled water returns to a series of off-site reservoirs. Everyone who attended was impressed by the high level of technology and thought applied at every stage of the process – from the radio-based water meters to the SCADA control systems, to the polymer waste-additives. The Phoenix Chapter would like to thank Ed and the rest of Global Water for showing us around and for their clear commitment to intelligent use of water resources in Arizona. We congratulate them on their efforts to date and wish them great success as they partner with the communities they serve going forward. Thank you!

November Meeting Summary
At the November meeting, our own Matt Beversdorf and two of his colleagues, Andy Fisher, and Karen Martini, from the GIS section of the Arizona Department of Water Resources demonstrated the new Groundwater Site Inventory (GWSI) web application for November’s talk. This groundbreaking application makes the massive real-time GWSI database easy to access, locate, graph, download, and use. It utilizes a “Google-type” search engine to locate data, allows wells and well data to be located and mapped utilizing ESRI web application software, and allows raw data to be downloaded into Microsoft Excel documents for outside-application analysis. It also provides easy methods to graph and share data from within the web application. This application is a powerful access tool that has its developers wondering, “How will the scientific and regulatory community use our database now?” If you missed the talk, check out the application on the web at http://arcims.azwater.gov/gwsi/waterresourcedata.aspx.

The Phoenix Chapter would like to thank Andy, Karen, and Matt for their presentation. We look forward to the continuing application enhancements at ADWR.

2009 AHS Annual Symposium Sponsors Sought
The 2009 Symposium, “Managing Hydrologic Extremes”, will be held at The Westin Kierland Resort & Spa August 30 through September 2,, 2009 in Scottsdale. The event, “Managing Hydrologic Extremes”, will be held at The Westin Kierland Resort & Spa August 30 through September 2,, 2009 in Scottsdale. The event will be a joint symposium with the 2009 national conference of the American Institute of Hydrology (AIH). Thanks to our volunteers we already have seven sponsors and a couple strong leads in the wings! Our thanks to:

We look forward to helping you help us promote your firms and the 2009 Symposium.

If you are interested in getting your name out early and let everyone know you are supporting another outstanding AHS event, please contact Mike Hulst, EEC, at 602-248-7702 or mhulst@eecphx.com or Keith Ross, Hydro Geo Chem, at 480-421-1501 or keithr@hgcinc.com and ask for a sponsorship package.

Planning for the 2009 AHS Symposium continues and we will be meeting regularly to hammer out details of program, speakers, sponsorship, marketing, proceedings, workshops, field trips, etc. The next planning meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, Dec. 17th at 5 PM at the offices of HydroGeo Chem (6370 E. Thomas Rd, Ste 200
Scottsdale, AZ). If you are interested in helping with the planning process or just listening in, please contact Keith Ross at keithr@hgcinc.com or 480-421-1501, Lee-Anna Walker at LeeAnna.Walker@arcadis-us.com, Christie O’Day at coday@acstempe.com or 480-894-5477 or Ted Lehman at ted@jefuller.com or 480-222-5709. We’d love to have you and we can really use your help.

AHS Foundation Fundraising
The AHS Foundation would like to remind you that they are a 100% charitable organization. You can fully deduct you contribution on your tax return. The AHSF exists to promote hydrological societies, water education, and water science in Arizona and the arid southwest. We’re having a few challenges getting our online donation site working, but you can always send us a check by mail!

Checks can be made out to Arizona Hydrological Society Foundation and mailed to:

Donations go to support AHS scholarships, internships, and build an endowment to ensure their perpetual funding. AHSF is a very efficient giving vehicle as we have no paid staff and very low operating expenses. So, as you are approach the end of 2008 and begin to think about you tax obligations, please consider a tax-deductible donation to the AHS Foundation.

January 27, 2009, Lunch Meeting will be held in Collaboration with the U of A Cooperative Extension Service

The meeting will be held at 4341 East Broadway, Phoenix, Arizona 85010. Please RSVP Ted Lehman, JE Fuller/ Hydrology & Geomorphology, Inc, 8400 S. Kyrene Road, Suite 201, Tempe, AZ 85284, 480-222-5709, ted@jefuller.com

Traditionally, scientists and policy-makers have had serious difficulties communicating effectively. This communication problem can limit policy-makers access to the science needed for the development of sound public policy. Scientists and policy-makers work in vastly different environments and their occupations have very different priorities and objectives. As a result, scientists and policy-makers tend to process information and view the world in very different ways. These diverse views create misunderstandings and cause difficulties in communicating effectively. Decisions on critical issues are often made without access to the best scientific understanding. This communication problem also serves to limit the relevancy of scientific findings and can eventually result in weakened support for science among policy-makers. Clearly it is incumbent on all scientists and policy-makers to find better ways to communicate in order to produce the best science-based public policy.
This presentation will provide some ideas regarding the basis for these different viewpoints and provide some ideas to better communicate scientific understanding to policy-makers and to the general public.

Nick Melcher retired in 2007 after 34 years with the US Geological Survey. He served as the Director of the USGS, Arizona Water Science Center in Tuson from 1994 to 2007. Mr. Melcher has given this presentation to the US Department of Interior, International audiences and to a number of public forums in Arizona.

December 9 – Jolene Tallsalt Robertson, Navajo Nation, water resource projects in the Navajo Nation
Thursday, January 15th – Annual Kickoff Meeting - Sonoran Brewhouse, 3rd Street & Camelback
Tuesday, January 27th - Nick Melcher, Lunch Hour Presentation "Communicating Science to Policy-makers", in collaboration with the University of Arizona, Cooperative Extension Service, at their facility, 4341 East Broadway, Phoenix, Arizona, 85010. Please RSVP Ted Lehman, JE Fuller/ Hydrology & Geomorphology, Inc, 8400 S. Kyrene Road, Suite 201, Tempe, AZ 85284, 480-222-5709, ted@jefuller.com
February – Keith Ross, Hydro Geo Chem, Using Passive Soil Gas Surveys for Preliminary Source Identification (The Bull’s-eye Approach)
March – maybe you?
Aug. 30- Sept. 2, 2009 – Managing Hydrologic Extremes, Joint Symposium of AHS & AIH, Westin Kierland Resort & Spa, Scottsdale, A

On November 18, 2008, at the offices of Errol L. Montgomery & Associates, Inc., Deborah Tosline of the U. S. Bureau of Reclamation (USBR), presented a talk titled “Bureau of Reclamation Project Implementation Process”. Sixteen attendees were present, representing consulting firms, the U of A, and state and federal agencies.

Ms. Tosline’s talk centered on the organizational structure, mission, program implementation process, and current projects of the USBR. The purpose of the talk was to familiarize the audience with the USBR and its role in water resource planning. The mission of the USBR is to manage, develop, and protect water and related resources in an environmentally and economically sound manner in the interest of the American public. They use a structured approach to water resource problem solving, and a rational framework for sound decision making.

There are two ways for USBR program implementation to occur:

Through Reclamation – stay informed of local and regional water issues, establish relationships with the community, identify potential needs, and inform partners of funding opportunities.
Through the community – request assistance from USBR to address issues; submit letters to congressional representatives to communicate needs and request assistance

The USBR works on a 3-year budget cycle, so they identify needs and request budgets 3 years in advance. The Reclamation Act of 1902 authorized the USBR to do Appraisal Studies (existing data and information gathering), Special Studies (existing and new information gathering), and Technical Investigations. Feasibility Studies (detailed investigation) and construction authority require additional Congressional authorization. The National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) is a type of Feasibility Study mandated for federally funded projects.

Many USBR projects are inter-governmental agreements between partners, who share the cost of the project. Ms. Tosline described in detail many of the projects with southern Arizona partners. She also reviewed the planning and decision-making processes used to take a USBR project from beginning to end.

December Meeting Announcement

The December meeting of the Tucson Chapter has been cancelled. We hope to see you at the next meeting, which will be held on Tuesday, January 13th, 2009. More details will follow.

Dec. 3rd, 2008 – Jessica Lundquist, University of Washington – Topic to be announced

WRRC Brown Bag Seminars

Information for additional seminars can be found on the WRRC web site: www.cals.arizona.edu/azwater

All seminars and events are held at the Sol Resnick Conference Room, Water Resources Research Center, 350 N. Campbell Ave., Tucson, AZ

Tucson HydroNews

No reports of hydrologically significant events

The Flagstaff Christmas Party will be held at the Beaver Street Brewery on Wednesday, December 10 at 6 PM. The agenda will include the election of AHS officers for 2009. We are looking forward to a big turnout and a fun time for all.

Many of us make our donations to our favorite charities in the month of December. This year, please consider making a donation to the Arizona Hydrological Society Foundation.

The Arizona Hydrological Society Foundation was established at the urging of the Society to provide long-term assured funding for on-going annual scholarships including the Bouwer and Halpenny Internships, three university scholarships, and other programs designed to assist outstanding and deserving students.

Now, more than ever, we must aid those bright students who will become the young professionals motivated to solve the critical water problems facing Arizona, the United States, and the world at large. The Foundation manages its endowment funds very conservatively, preserving capital and allocating only earnings to support the scholarships. In the present financial climate, it is difficult to maintain, much less expand, these highly successful educational programs. For this reason, your charitable contribution will provide vital dollars to sustain and enhance the Foundation’s efforts to provide these unique educational opportunities to our future leaders in the hydrological sciences.

The Arizona Hydrological Society Foundation is a 501(c)(3) organization. All donations qualify for a 100% charitable deduction on personal or business income tax returns. Foundation Directors are all volunteers and are not paid for their time, support or work for the Foundation.

YES, I want to support the Arizona Hydrological Society Foundation!
Enclosed is my check for:

Please apply my gift to the:
□ Leonard Halpenny Endowment
□ Herman Bouwer Endowment
□ Area of Greatest Need

Please make check payable to Arizona Hydrological Society Foundation and mail to:

Please mail receipt to:
Name: ___________________________

Address: ____________________________

For more information about the Arizona Hydrological Society, or to view current job listings and announcements, please visit our web site at: