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Sharon B. Megdal, Ph.D. is Director of The University of Arizona Water Resources Research Center (WRRC), a Cooperative Extension center and a research unit in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. Other primary titles are Professor and Specialist in the Department of Environmental Science, C.W. & Modene Neely Endowed Professor, and Distinguished Outreach Professor.
Sharon Megdal aims to bridge the academic, practitioner, and civil society communities through water policy and management research, education, and engagement programs. The geographic scope of Dr. Megdal’s work ranges from local to international. Applied research projects include analysis of water management, policy, and governance in water-scarce regions, groundwater recharge, and transboundary aquifer assessment. Key engagement initiatives are Indigenous Water Dialogues and Diversifying Voices in Water Resources.
She is the lead editor of the book, Shared Borders, Shared Waters: Israeli-Palestinian and Colorado River Basin Water Challenges and she has guest edited several special journal issues. Her policy columns and Reflections essays can be found here. Dr. Megdal teaches the multi-disciplinary graduate course “Water Policy in Arizona and Semi-arid Regions”. In 2020, she was awarded the Warren A. Hall Medal for lifetime achievement in water resources research and education by the Universities Council on Water Resources.
Sharon Megdal serves as on the Board of the American Water Resources Association and is an ex officio member of the Leadership Team for the Colorado River Basin Water & Tribes Initiative. Recent professional service includes serving for 12 years as a popularly elected Director for the Central Arizona Water Conservation District, also known as the Central Arizona Project (CAP), and Board President for the International Arid Lands Consortium. Dr. Megdal has served on numerous Arizona boards and commissions, including the Arizona Corporation Commission, the State Transportation Board, and the Arizona Medical Board. She holds a Ph.D. degree in Economics from Princeton University. Show Less
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Grants
- Transboundary Aquifer Assessment Program (TAAP): Arizona Water Resources Research Center Effort
Principal Investigator (PI)
2022
$166.7K
Active - State Water Resources Research Institute Program Fiscal Year 2021 Request for Applications
Principal Investigator (PI)
2021
$258.8K
Active - Sustaining Groundwater and Irrigated Agriculture in the Southwestern United States Under a Changing Climate
Principal Investigator (PI)
2021
$212.3K
Active - Building Water Scenarios to Support Community Planning in Rural Arizona Through Collaborative Stakeholder Engagement Process Design
Co-Investigator (COI)
2019
$146.2K
- Joint Program Agreement with Lincoln Institute of Land Policy
Principal Investigator (PI)
2019
$45.0K
- Exploratory Program Development and Follow-up for Land and Water in Arizona
Principal Investigator (PI)
2019
$18.8K
- Stakeholder-Driven Water Supply and Demand Analysis as a Foundation for Collaborative Planning in Cobre Valley, AZ
Principal Investigator (PI)
2018
$43.2K
- Tracing the Footprint of Private Water and the Colorado River Basin
Principal Investigator (PI)
2018
$40.0K
- Sky Island Waters: Changing the Way that Water is Valued, Used, and Managed
Principal Investigator (PI)
2018
$20.0K
- Transboundary Aquifer Assessment Program: Arizona Water Resources Research Center Effort
Principal Investigator (PI)
2017
$833.3K
Technologies / Patents
Books
- Special Issue of Water on Water Governance, Stakeholder Engagement, and Sustainable Water Resources Management
2016
- Callegary et al 2016 San Pedro River Binational Report
2016
- Policy and Economics of Managed Aquifer Recharge and Water Banking
2015
- Arizona water policy: Management innovations in an urbanizing, arid region
2006
News
- Cascading Colorado River cuts bring focus to future of Arizona agriculture
2022
- Tech On Tap: UA Inventors Address World Water Woes
2019
- Four Questions: UA Experts Discuss Drought Contingency Plan
2019
- Cape Town's Water Crisis: Could It Happen in Arizona?
2018
- For Desert Dwellers, a Life in Balance
2018
- 'Beyond the Mirage' Water Documentary Wins Regional Emmy
2017
- Documentary on West's Water Issues to Premiere
2016
- UA Researchers Take a Closer Look at the Future of Desalination
2016
- Water Conference to Focus on Indigenous Perspectives
2015
- UA Conference to Focus on Closing Water Supply Gap in Arizona
2014
- UA Program Promotes Smart Water Use in Arizona and Beyond
2014
- UA Water Experts Speak at United Nations Event
2013
- UA's Megdal Elected President of National Institute
2013
- UA to Host Water Security Experts at Annual Conference
2013
- New Book Explores Water Management Solutions Across International Borders
2013
- Statewide Water Experts Meet Tuesday at UA
2012
- Innovation Day Celebrates Entrepreneurship on Campus
2012
- Cutting-Edge Research Showcased at UA Innovation Day
2012
- UA Innovation Day to Celebrate Tech Development
2012
- Faculty, Students Honored at Pillars of Excellence Reception
2011
- Student-Run Journals Encourage Scholarship, Creative Endeavors
2010
- Vanishing Water and Shifting Climate
2010
- UA to Celebrate Winter Commencement
2010
- Commencement Awards to Honor Outreach, Alumni Achievement
2010
- Defining Arizona's Environmental Leadership Goal of UA Conference
2010
- Committee Selected in CALS Dean Search
2010
- Four to Receive Honorary Degrees at Commencement
2010
- Maricopa County Brown Bag Lecture Series Features Water Experts
2009
- The Drought Detectives
2009
- U.S. Interior Department Honors UA Researchers
2009
- New Publication Examines Water Availability for Agriculture
2009
- Water Conference Focus on Planning, Future
2009
- Israeli and Palestinian Leaders to Discuss Water Management, in Arizona
2009
- Water Researcher Sharon Megdal Awarded Endowed Professorship
2008
- UA Study: Tucsonans Favor Long-Range Planning for Water Use
2008
- Water Expert to Lecture in Tucson
2007
- Report Analyzes Role of Businesses in Growth, Water Supplies
2006
- UA Co-sponsors Forum on Transportation Initiatives
2003
Publications (130)
Recent
- Advances in Transboundary Aquifer Assessment
2023
- Stakeholder Opinions on the Issues of the Central Arizona Groundwater Replenishment District and Policy Alternatives
2023
- Featured Collection introduction: Severe sustained drought revisited managing the Colorado River system in times of water shortage 25 thinsp;years later mdash;Part II
2022
- Assessing Groundwater Withdrawal Sustainability in the Mexican Portion of the Transboundary Santa Cruz River Aquifer
2022
- Managed Aquifer Recharge as a tool to improve water security and resilience
2022
- Drought and groundwater management: Interconnections, challenges, and policyresponses
2022
- Groundwater and drought management: Recent advances and challenges
2022
- Binational reflections on pathways to groundwater security in the Mexico ndash;United States borderlands
2021
- Considerations for Water Resources Planning and Management, in Managed Aquifer Recharge: Overview and Governance
2021
- The U.S.-Mexico Transboundary Aquifer Assessment Program as a Model for Transborder Groundwater Collaboration
2021
- Special Issue Advances in Transboundary Aquifer Assessment
2021
- Reaching Groundwater Agreements on the Border Between Mexico and the United States: Science and Policy Fundamentals
2021
- Science and Binational Cooperation: Bidirectionality in the Transboundary Aquifer Assessment Program in the Arizona-Sonora Border Region
2021
- IMPACT Issue on Wicked Water Problems
2021
- Take-aways from the 2020 AWRA Annual Conference Panel on Wicked Water Problems
2021
- A Review of Climate Change Impacts on the USA-Mexico Transboundary Santa Cruz River Basin
2021
- Binational Reflections on Pathways to Groundwater Security in the Mexico-United States Borderlands
2021
- Long-Term Storage Credits: Analyzing Market-based Transactions to Achieve Arizona Water Policy Objectives
2020
- In a changing climate, Arizona is uniquely positioned to succeed
2020
- Reflections: Relevance Today of Comments on Arizona’s Future from 1987
2020
- Reflections: On Wicked Water Problems
2020
- Reflections: Time to Retire the Water Buffalo Symbol?
2020
- Analysis of the 2020 WOTUS rule policy implications for ephemeral washes in Arizona
2020
- An overview of Managed Aquifer Recharge in Mexico and its legal framework
2020
- Guest Editor for Special Issue of Water entitled Managed Aquifer Recharge for Water Resilience
2020
- Hydrodiplomacy and adaptive governance at the U.S.-Mexico border: 75 years of tradition innovation in transboundary water management.
2020
- End of 2020 Reflections
2020
- Reflections: The Importance of Dialogue, Process, and Participation
2020
- Managed Aquifer Recharge for Water Resilience (Editorial paper)
2020
- Reflections: Singapore – A Model for Integrated Water Management
2020
- Reflections: Spring 2020 and COVID-19 – The Work Must Go On
2020
- Reflections: Varying Views on My Water Buffalo Symbol Question
2020
- Reflections: Being on Sabbatical During the COVID-19 Pandemic
2020
- Editors’ foreword, Special issue, The OECD Principles on Water Governance: from policy standards to practice
2019
- Reflections on the 10th Anniversary of the Transboundary Aquifer Assessment Program and the Importance of its Joint Cooperative Process
2019
- Impacts of Variable Climate and Effluent Flows on the Transboundary Santa Cruz Aquifer
2019
- Reflections on Spring as a Time for Growth
2019
- World Water Day Reflections
2019
- Use of Managed Aquifer Recharge to Improve Water Management in Arid and Semi-Arid Regions of Mexico (Extended Abstract)
2019
- Reflections on a Successful Israeli Conference Experience
2019
- Reflections on Earth Day 2019
2019
- Megdal, S.B. (2018) Reflections on Water Policy: Collected Columns from Arizona Water Resource, 2002-2018. Compiled and Published October 2018. https://wrrc.arizona.edu/sites/wrrc.arizona.edu/files/pdfs/PPR-compendium-2018_0.pdf
2018
- Critical Issues Affecting Groundwater Quality Governance and Management in the United States, Water
2018
- Findings and lessons learned from the assessment of the Mexico-United States transboundary San Pedro and Santa Cruz aquifers: The utility of social science in applied hydrologic research
2018
- Unraveling transboundary water security in the arid Americas
2018
- The Business of Water is Everyone’s Business,
2018
- Cutting-Edge Solutions to Wicked Water Problems – International Conference Recap
2018
- Paginated published version: Influence of Grey water on Physical and Mechanical Properties of Mortar and Concrete Mixes
2018
- Learning About Water Policy
2018
- The Cooperative Framework for the Transboundary Aquifer Assessment Program: A Model for Collaborative Transboundary Studies
2018
- Editors rsquo; foreword
2018
- Reflections on Change and Continuity in WRRC Outreach, Arizona Water Resource
2018
- Invisible Water: The Importance of Good Groundwater Governance and Management
2018
- Decentralized groundwater governance and water nexus issues in the United States
2018
- Evaluating Gravity-Flow Irrigation with Lessons from Yuma, Arizona
2018
- Looking Back . . . Past Columns Shed Light on Current Issues
2018
- Water Governance, Stakeholder Engagement, and Sustainable Water Resources Management
2017
- Water Governance, Stakeholder Engagement, and Sustainable Water Resources Management, Editorial paper for Special Issue of the Same Title
2017
- Innovative Approaches to Collaborative Groundwater Governance in the United States: Case Studies from Three High-growth Regions in the Sun Belt
2017
- Transboundary Groundwater Resources: Sustainable Management and Conflict Resolution
2017
- Conserve2Enhance: Helping Communities Take Action for Water and the Environment
2017
- Building Common Ground for Environmental Flows using Traditional Techniques and Novel Engagement Approaches.
2016
- Desalination and water security in the US ndash;Mexico border region: assessing the social, environmental and political impacts
2016
- Connecting Israeli Water Management and Technological Innovations to Arizona
2016
- Influence of Grey water on Physical and Mechanical Properties of Mortar and Concrete Mixes
2016
- Modes and Approaches of Groundwater Governance: A Survey of Lessons Learned from Selected Cases across the Globe
2016
- Opening the Black Box: Using a Hydrological Model to Link Stakeholder Engagement with Groundwater Management
2016
- Groundwater Visibility: The Missing Link
2016
- Potable Reuse of Water: A View from Arizona
2016
- Modes, approaches, and lessons learned: A survey of selected cases of groundwater governance across the globe
2016
- Explore, Synthesize, and Repeat: Unraveling Complex Water Management Issues Through the Stakeholder Engagement Wheel
2016
- Special Issue of Water on Water Governance, Stakeholder Engagement, and Sustainable Water Resources Management
2016
- Climate change and water resources management in the Upper Santa Cruz River
2015
- Special Issue on Policy and Economics of Managed Aquifer Recharge and Water Banking
2015
- How a drought-resilient water delivery system rose out of the desert: The case of Tucson Water
2015
- Policy and economics of managed aquifer recharge and water banking. Water 7(2), pp. 592-598. .
2015
- Water resource management challenges in a time of changing climate
2015
- Groundwater governance in the United States: Common priorities and challenges
2015
- Performance of Grey Water Pilot Plant Using a Multi-Layer Filter of natural Materials for Agricultural Purposes in the Jordan Valley
2015
- Climate change and water resources management in the Upper Santa Cruz River, Arizona
2015
- A Tale of Two Rivers: Pathways for improving water management in the Jordan and Colorado River Basins
2015
- Building Common Ground for Environmental Flows using Traditional Techniques and Novel Engagement Approaches
2015
- Special Issue on the Fourth Drylands Deserts and Desertification “DDD” Conference
2015
- Desalination and water security in the U.S.-Mexico border region: The social, environmental, and political context
2015
- Regional water management collaboration
2014
- Roadmap for Considering Water for Arizona’s Natural Areas
2014
- Using Watershed Assessments to Inform Planning for Rural Watersheds
2014
- Performance of a Grey Water Pilot Plant Using a Multi-Layer Filter for Agricultural Purposes in the Jordan Valley: Performance of a Grey Water Pilot Plant Using a Multi-Layer Filter
2014
- Synthesizing Environmental Flow Needs Data for Water Management in a Water-Scarce State: The Arizona Environmental Water Demands Database: ENVIRONMENTAL WATER DEMANDS DATABASE
2014
- Water banks: Using managed aquifer recharge to meet water policy objectives
2014
- Using Scenario Planning to Prepare for Uncertainty in Rural Watersheds
2014
- Synthesizing environmental flow needs data for water management in a water-scarce state: The Arizona environmental water demands database
2014
- Water resources vulnerability to climate change in the Upper Santa Cruz River, Arizona
2014
- Evaluating economic effects of semiconductor manufacturing in water-limited regions
2012
- Testing the Waters: Tucson Arizona Links Water Conservation with Environmental Benefits
2012
- Grey water reuse for agricultural purposes in the Jordan valley: Household survey results in Deir Alla
2012
- Testing the waters: Tucson links water conservation with environmental benefits
2012
- Evaluating Economic Impacts of Semiconductor Manufacturing in Water-Limited Regions
2012
- Desalination Technology in a Binational Context: Systemic Implications for Water, Society, Energy, and Environment in the Arizona-Sonora portion of the U.S.-Mexico Border
2012
- Arizona Groundwater Management
2012
- Climate change and population growth impacts on the transboundary Santa Cruz aquifer
2012
- The Role of the Public and Private Sectors in Water Provision in Arizona USA
2012
- The role of the public and private sectors in water provision in Arizona, USA
2012
- Arizona s Blue Ribbon Panel on Water Sustainability
2012
- Grey Water Reuse for Agricultural Purposes in the Jordan Valley: Household Survey Results in DeirAlla
2012
- The Forgotten Sector: Arizona Water Law and the Environment
2011
- Inspiring water conservation for environmental enhancement
2011
- Water-energy interdependencies and the Central Arizona Project
2011
- The Importance of Institutional Asymmetries to the Development of Binational Aquifer Assessment Programs: The Arizona-Sonora Experience
2011
- Determinants of environmental noncompliance by public water systems
2010
- Restoration and river management in the arid southwestern USA: Exploring project design trends and features
2009
- Securing Water for Environmental Purposes: Establishing Pilot Programs
2009
- Conserve to Enhance - Voluntary municipal water conservation to support environmental restoration
2008
- Front-row view of federal water lawmaking shows process works-U.S.-Mexico transboundary aquifer assessment act pondered, passed, and signed
2008
- Municipal water reuse in Tucson, Arizona, USA
2007
- Water planning for the tucson region
2006
- Maximum contaminant level regulation and its violation: An econometric analysis of drinking water systems in Arizona
2006
- Sex differences in the academic labor market in the affirmative action era
1993
- On Regulation, Deregulation, and Economics
1989
- The Flypaper Effect Revisited: An Econometric Explanation
1987
- The econometrics of piecewise-linear budget constraints: A monte carlo study
1987
- COMPARABLE WORTH: SOME ISSUES FOR CONSIDERATION
1986
- Estimating a public school expenditure model under binding spending limitations
1986
- A note on estimating school district expenditure functions under conditions of closed-end matching aid : Closed-end matching aid in the context of a two-part tariff
1985
- Rethinking Comparable Worth: Do All Roads Lead to Equity?.
1985
- A model of local demand for education
1984
- Equalization of Expenditures and the Demand for Local Public Education: The Case of New Jersey
1983
- The determination of local public expenditures and the principal and agent relation: A case study
1983
- CONTROL OF LARGE-SCALE NONLINEAR ECONOMETRIC SYSTEMS.
1978
- The control of large-scale nonlinear econometric systems
1978