Bridging the Gap Between Utilities and Researchers in Arizona to Build Resilience Towards Emerging Water-Related Challenges

The state of Arizona is expected to be in the top-ten most populous states across the US by 2030, anticipating an increase in the demands of potable water. The latter will lead to the intensification of significant water-related challenges that must be faced and prioritized regarding its quality, scarcity, effects over public health, wastewater reuse, among others. However, there is an existing gap between the needs of utilities and research efforts within academia. Reducing these gaps will build a more resilient system and ensure the infrastructure can support the upcoming changes.
Current research seeks to bridge the existing gap through the development of an Arizona-based water utility-academic research partnership, built through inter-disciplinary collaboration between interested parties. A series of focus groups will be held to identify emerging issues of concerns in the sector, and their priority will be established between the related stakeholders. In addition, a searchable database of researchers at the University of Arizona will be developed to guide future collaborations and funding efforts. Finally, most important results will be presented at the conference for public dissemination, seeking to share the highlights from our experience so this approach can be expanded to other states nationally in a future.