In this Section:

	Background
	Project Overview
	Project Components:
	Sensitivity Analysis
	Water Law & Policy
	Urban Water Providers
	Conservation in Flagstaff
	Status of Project
	References
	Related Links
	Contacts

Research and Products:
Urban Water Study

Status of Project

Our research has begun to reveal the complex interplay between climatic variability and factors particularly relevant to urban settings, such as population growth, water resources and their use, policies and institutions, and water management practices. We have found that the impacts of climate variability on urban water systems vary considerably according to each of these factors, and are thus best analyzed in a manner that allows us to take into account the unique combination of circumstances found in more localized areas.

Four components of the Urban Water Study have now been completed and CLIMAS has published reports of their findings (see the Links section to access online reports).

Research into other aspects of urban water and climate variability are currently underway:

• Groundwater Policy Review: CLIMAS researchers participated in a public effort aimed at determining whether changes needed to be made to the legal structure governing groundwater use in the more stringently regulated areas of Arizona. Through this effort, CLIMAS has acquired a more detailed understanding of issues facing the greater Phoenix and Tucson areas, as well as those of Prescott and Nogales, Arizona. The insights derived from the process continue to inform CLIMAS efforts to introduce climate information into water management and regulation processes. Additional research, associated with the current CLIMAS END InSight Initiative, builds on this foundation through continuing to assess climate impacts on water management and water policy in Arizona and New Mexico.
  
  
• San Pedro River Basin: An institutional analysis of the use of water resources in the Upper San Pedro River basin, which spans the U.S.-Mexico border in southeastern Arizona and northeastern Sonora, is underway. The analysis has entailed utilization of an open ended, in-depth questionnaire that focuses on understanding individuals' use of climate information within their decision-making models. Interviews were conducted with members of the San Pedro Partnership on the Arizona side and selected individuals on the Sonora side of the border. The initiative concentrated on the ability of different groups to incorporate innovation (i.e., climate data) and on the opportunities and constraints that facilitate/impede revision of the decision models being used. The framework developed for this research is being extended to include other areas of the Southwest, including Yuma and the Tucson-Phoenix area.
  
  
• Dialogue on Water and Climate: In a related project, CLIMAS is participating in an effort to enhance climate information use in the Upper San Pedro River watershed. This work is currently being pursued in collaboration with the UA Udall Center for Studies in Public Policy, Universidad Autonoma de Mexico (UNAM), and the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Research Service in Tucson. The research is supported by a grant provided by the Dialogue for Water and Climate located in Delft, The Netherlands. The work is particularly significant because the upper reaches of the San Pedro River support one of the most vibrant remaining riparian ecosystems along the U.S.-Mexico border. The river, which originates just outside Cananea, Sonora, Mexico and flows northward to confluence with the Gila River in Arizona, is an internationally designated UNESCO Hydrology for the Environment, Life and Policy (HELP) basin. As such, the San Pedro has attracted considerable scientific attention from water resource scholars and policy experts from around the world.