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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Watershed Mapping Classes Available - Arizona NEMO, in conjunction with the City of Cottonwood, Yavapai College, and the Cottonwood Chamber of Commerce, is offering watershed mapping classes on September 5. This is an exciting opportunity for area residents to learn watershed mapping skills. Two classes are planned; attendees will learn how to design and print maps that feature their next hikes, and/or how to create maps to attach to grant applications. More information and registration instructions available for download here.

Arizona Rivers Summer Workshop for Teachers and Volunteer Monitors - A workshop for K-12 teachers, students, citizen scientists, leaders of student organizations (scouts, 4-H, FFA, science clubs, etc.) and volunteer river-monitors will be held May 12-14, 2008 at Phoenix College Campus (1202 W. Thomas Road). Course stipend is $100/day for teachers. Receipts for travel expenses will be reimbursed with prior arrangement. Apply at http://www.azrivers.org/. For further information contact Dr. Martha P.L. Whitaker at mplw@hwr.arizona.edu or (520) 621-9715.

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 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.

FY 2008 National Integrated Water Quality Program (NIWQP) Request for Applications (RFA)

The goal of the National Integrated Water Quality Program is to improve the quality of our Nation's surface water and groundwater resources through research, education, and extension activities. Projects funded through this program will facilitate achieving this goal by advancing and disseminating the knowledge base available to agricultural and rural communities. Funded projects should lead to science-based decision-making and management practices that improve the quality of the Nation's surface water and groundwater resources in agricultural and rural watersheds. Deadline April 28, 2008.

Conservation Fund Accepting Applications for Kodak American Greenways Awards Program, Deadline: June 15, 2008

Grants may be used for activities such as mapping, ecological assessments, surveying, conferences, and design activities; developing brochures, interpretative displays, audio-visual productions, or public opinion surveys; and hiring consultants, incorporating land trusts, building infrastructure (e.g., a foot bridge or bike path), or other creative projects. In general, grants can be used for all appropriate expenses needed to complete a greenway project, including planning, technical assistance, legal, and other costs. Awards will primarily go to local, regional, or statewide non-profit organizations. Although public agencies may also apply, community organizations will receive preference. Most grants will range from $500 to $1,000 each; the maximum individual grant award is $2,500.

USDA CSREES Funding: Integrated Research, Education, and Extension Competitive Grants Program - Conservation Effects Assessment Project (CEAP) for fiscal year (FY) 2008 to develop research and extension projects aimed at improving the watershed health of grazingland watersheds across the Nation. The goal of this program area is to build a knowledge base that can be used to evaluate the impacts of conservation projects and programs on grazingland watershed health, improve the management of grazinglands to achieve environmental goals and inform policy decisions. Deadline: June 17, 2008

US Fish & Wildlife 2008 Grant Opportunity to provide direct technical and financial assistance to private landowners interested in restoring, enhancing, and managing fish and wildlife habitats on their own lands. Deadline is September 2008.

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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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.

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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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