“That three-dimensional nature of the project is something really unique. It has individual trees. It represents the snowpack, water and channels,” said Enrique Vivoni, director of the Center for Hydrologic Innovations. “We have the ability to do thinning in a smart way.” 

People come to depend on water rights to develop industry, grow agriculture and build towns, said Sarah Porter, director of the Kyl Center for Water Policy at Arizona State University. “And once you have that reliance, it becomes extremely painful to change,” she told CNN.

I sat down with Sarah Porter of Arizona State's Kyle Center for Water Policy, and the first thing she said to me was "probably most of what you think about water here is not true." And she was right because, for one thing, as you know, Phoenix itself, the city, is not short of water. So, one thing you have to get your head around is that here in the desert, with a once-a-millennium drought, there is not an immediate threat to water supply in the metro area.

Dr. Paul Westerhoff has been an innovative force in water since the early stages of his career, receiving the Paul L. Busch Award from WRF in 2006 for his research on the removal of engineered nanomaterials during wastewater treatment, which led to the development of new analytical methods. Dr. Westerhoff has led 14 WRF projects as Principal Investigator and has served on Project Advisory Committees for nine WRF projects.

With Arizona's long-term drought and climate change making fires more intense, Arizona State University and Salt River Project are teaming up for a new research project when it comes to forest thinning and the water supply says Enrique Vivoni.

He points out the sustainability work of Claire Lauer, a professor of technical communication and co-director of the master’s program in user experience in the School of Applied Professional Studies at ASU’s Polytechnic campus. She received a $2 million National Science Foundation grant to create a mechanism to educate the public about water usage.

“Everybody keeps saying that water is bipartisan, and in fact it's not. It's not anymore, let's put it that way. It used to be. You could say that back in 1980, when we passed the Groundwater Management Act, but you can't say that anymore,” Kathleen Ferris said.

“The past few years have taught not only the Navajo Nation and other tribal communities but the state, and I think all across the United States and the globe, the high price of not having access to clean water,” said Cora Tso.

“Arizona is at a crossroads in terms of our water supply portfolio. Applied innovation projects, such as this effort in forest health and water resilience, translate research into actions for the benefit of our renewable water supplies. Not only does our work with SRP set the stage for regional impacts, but it is also a successful model for how universities can collaborate effectively with water agencies and utilities,” Enrique Vivoni said.

“Of course, we have heard about the Navajo Nation, Hopi Tribe and San Juan Southern Paiute proposed settlement and hope that will be settled here within the next year or so,” said Cora Tso, who is Navajo, and a senior research fellow at Arizona State University’s Kyl Center for Water Policy.