
Town of Camp Verde, Watershed Management, and ASU Project Cities Partner Hosts Rainwater Demonstration Garden Workshop
The Town of Camp Verde, Watershed Management, and Arizona State University’s (ASU) Project Cities program are proud to announce the conclusion of their joint Rainwater Demonstration Garden and Rainwater Harvesting Tank Installation Workshop, which took place on April 3, 2025. The project was supported by Impact Water - Arizona, a program of the Arizona Water Innovation Initiative.

Meet ASU engineering students who are improving health care, computing and more
Shriya Danekar, an undergraduate environmental engineering student, used her Grand Challenges Scholars Program research stipend to explore her passion for sustainability. Danekar aims to improve the management of the limited water resources in the western U.S. under the supervision of Margaret Garcia, a Fulton Schools associate professor of civil, environmental and sustainable engineering.

Something strange is happening to Earth’s rotation. Now we know why
"Earth only has three main reservoirs for water storage, namely, the continents, the oceans, and the atmosphere," Prof Jay Famiglietti, another of the study's authors, tells BBC Science Focus. "But the water holding capacity of the atmosphere is insignificant compared to the land and the oceans, so that when water leaves the land, it ends up collecting in the ocean." The result: a drying trend that hasn’t reversed.

Colorado River War 101
“Really bad. … Really bad.” That was the response I got from water policy veteran Kathy Ferris when I asked how bad things could shake out in negotiations on Colorado River management. In a recent phone call on the topic, ASU water expert Sarah Porter nearly mirrored Ferris’ words. “Things could end up… not good… very not good.”

Saving the environment to save ourselves
The Arizona Water Innovation Initiative at ASU, whose mission is to provide immediate, actionable and evidence-solutions to strengthen Arizona’s water security, has already experienced great success since its 2022 debut. To date, the initiative has patented technologies, strengthened the state’s water policies toward conservation and empowered communities with a greater understanding of Arizona’s water challenges.

Phoenix signs off on development impact fees
Arizona State University professor Dave White, who chairs the Phoenix Water and Wastewater Advisory Committee, also praised the work that went into the new impact fee increases.

Water for Arizona’s silicon desert
While we were out, ASU recapped last month’s Rethinking Water West conference, where a panel explored AI’s growing role in water management. Ruijie Zeng, an assistant professor at ASU, predicted water utilities “will become more of a service provider than a commodity provider” thanks to AI.

‘Worst case scenario’: Arizona remains hottest, driest in recent history
“I don’t think we should be looking for any break in the severity of what we’re experiencing,” Jay Famiglietti, a professor and climate researcher at Arizona State University, told Courthouse News in December. “It’s only gonna continue and it’s only gonna get worse.”

Home building will get more expensive in Phoenix this summer. Here's why
Dave White, an Arizona State University professor and chair of the Phoenix Water Policy Advisory Committee, said the impact fees "are equitable and allow growth to pay for growth.”

Revealed: Big tech’s new data centers will take water from the world’s driest areas
“Is the increase in tax revenue and the relatively paltry number of jobs worth the water?” said Kathryn Sorensen, an Arizona State University professor and a former director of Mesa’s water department. “It is incumbent on city councils to think very carefully and examine the trade-offs.”