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Phoenix Chapter News Up-coming Dinner PresentationLooking Ahead…2013 Arizona Science and Engineering Fair… |
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Up-coming Dinner Presentation
The next Phoenix Chapter dinner meeting will be held on Tuesday, June 11, 2013, at SunUp Brewing Co., in midtown Phoenix (on the north side of Camelback Road, just east of Central Avenue). Please join us for a beverage, to share business cards, and talk water!
Please RSVP to Michele Robertson at mrobertson@elmontgomery.com or 480-948-7747 Hope to see you there! At the June Phoenix Chapter meeting, Brian Betcher, General Manager of the Maricopa Stanfield Irrigation and Drainage District, will give a presentation on the unique position of agricultural water providers in the world of Arizona water, and provide insight into some of the strategies that the MSIDD has employed to protect the interests of its members in the face of rising energy costs, the increasing competition for limited water supplies, and other issues. Brian Betcher was hired by Maricopa-Stanfield Irrigation & Drainage District (MSIDD) in 1988 as its District Engineer and became its General Manager in March 2008. During his 25-year tenure with the District, Mr. Betcher has had primary responsibility for managing the District's water resources consisting of groundwater wells and CAP water, along with overseeing its operation and maintenance field personnel. Prior to joining MSIDD's staff in 1988 he spent 11 years working for Bookman-Edmonston Engineering, Inc., the firm responsible for the feasibility, design and construction management of the District's CAP canal project. Mr. Betcher served as the Project Engineer for MSIDD during that time. He has been working with Pinal County irrigation District's in the development and operation of their irrigation systems since 1980. This provides him with a unique working history of the CAP and its relationship to serving the needs of irrigated agriculture. Mr. Betcher has had the opportunity to serve on many committees representing water interests in Pinal County and in particular, irrigated agriculture. He served on the Technical Advisory Committee for the Governor's 2004 Water Commission. Recently he has participated in CAP's ADD Water program, represented agricultural interests related to proposed EPA rules for NGS, and currently sits on an ad hoc committee working with ADWR and CAP for State-wide planning for future recovery of stored CAP water. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Civil Engineering from the University of Southern California, specializing in water resources, and he is a registered professional engineer in the State of California. Abstract:MSIDD is currently the second largest irrigation district in Arizona receiving water from the Central Arizona Project (CAP), having delivered more Colorado River water than any other entity since the CAP became operable in the 1980s (over 4,000,00 AF). MSIDD operates a conjunctive use system of more than 200 miles of canals and over 300 irrigation wells to provide commercial irrigation water service to its growers. In the face of increasing energy costs, environmental regulations, encroachment from residential development and competition for water supplies MSIDD is working to face the challenge of keeping water supplies secure and affordable. Brian Betcher, General Manager of MSIDD, will discuss the pressure points and the strategies being employed to meet this challenge. | ||||||||||
Looking Ahead…
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2013 Arizona Science and Engineering FairEach year since 2004, the Arizona Hydrological Society (AHS) and Central Arizona Project (CAP) have awarded $400 to selected science projects in water, environmental and hydrologic sciences at the Arizona Science and Engineering Fair. I would like to thank DeAnne Rietz of SWCA and Derek McGregor of Freeport-McMoran for their help in judging the projects. The projects were very impressive and reflect a lot of hard work and dedication by the students. Each student will receive an award certificate and a cash award for selected projects will also be awarded as indicated below. Senior Division:1st Place: $200 to S-EV-13-AzSEF-1847 - Stephen Yao, University High School, Tucson, Arizona, for "An Experimental Study of Vadose Zone Flux Meter" 2nd Place: $50 ($25 each) to S-EM-13-AzSEF-1372 - Yasmine Hassan and Catherine Strickler, Paragon Science Academy, Chandler, Arizona, for "Watershed Investigation" Junior Division:1st Place: $50 to J-EV-13-AzSEF-1527 - Myra Khan, Basis Peoria, Peoria, Arizona, for "How do Oil Spills Effect the Environment?" Honorable Mention: J-EA-13-AzSEF-1592 - Dayton Larson and Daniel Cunningham, Willis Junior High School, Chandler, Arizona, for "Building Up or Down" Elementary Division:1st Place: $50 - E-EV-13-AzSEF-1895 - Lahari Samak, Basis Peoria, Peoria, Arizona, for "Controlling Nitrate Contamination of Groundwater in Arizona" 1st Place: $50 - E-EA-13-AzSEF-1867 - Michael Hughes, Satori Charter School, Tucson, Arizona, for "Groundwater Recharge" Honorable Mention: E-EV-13-AzSEF-1106 - Kristine Kayser, Taylor Hicks Elementary School, Prescott, Arizona, for "Is Lake Water Safe to Drink?" Honorable Mention: E-EA-13-AzSEF-1829 - Julia Kassa, Sonoran Science Academy, Tucson, Arizona, for "Soil Liquefaction by an Earthquake" Honorable Mention: E-EA-13-AzSEF-1610 - Emma Quintana, Candeo Schools, Peoria, Arizona, for "Seismograph: Whole Lot of Shaking Going On" |
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Date:
February 12, 2013 Location: SunUp Brewery Event: TBA For general information about chapter meetings, click here. |
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