June to August 2024 Edition
Welcome to the online newsletter! You can peruse summaries of the articles below and navigate between pages using the links on the left. If you encounter any issues or would like to provide feedback, please email waawra.webmaster@gmail.com. Enjoy!
President's Notes
Highlights of recent AWRA-WA updates, activities, and volunteer opportunities from President Katherine Taiclet. Full article
State Conference Speaker Preview
The AWRA-WA State Conference is quickly approaching! This year's conference is titled Drinkable, Fishable, Swimmable: Protecting Washington's Waters and will focus on the importance of clean water and ongoing work to address water quality concerns throughout the state. We are excited to share a preview of the keynote and conference speakers along with their presentation topics. Read more about the conference speakers and register before August 23rd to take advantage of early bird pricing.
June Virtual Poster Series Recap
On June 13th, Richard Law, City Engineer for Moses Lake, presented on the city's new water management strategies aimed at conserving water and ensuring sustainability amid declining groundwater levels. His presentation was part of a new virtual poster series hosted by AWRA-WA and facilitated by Green Economics. Full article
Student Fellowship Awards & Research Articles
Congratulations to our four AWRA-WA Student Fellowship Award recipients for 2024! Brook Bauer of CWU, Kinsey Freeman of WSU, Elif Myers of CWU, and Sarath Suresh of UW are conducting innovative research in water resources and demonstrated outstanding academic excellence in a competitive pool of fellowship applications this year. Explore articles about their research below.
Brook Bauer – Graduate student at Central Washington University
Kinsey Freeman – PhD candidate at Washington State University
Elif Myers – Graduate student at Central Washington University
Sarath Suresh – PhD scholar at the University of Washington
August 2024 Drought Update
Recent developments highlight worsening water conditions across Washington State with the drought emergency persisting through the summer. Although June saw some relief with above-average rainfall, July's extreme heat and dryness exacerbated drought conditions. Water supply forecasts in the Yakima basin fluctuated and ultimately stabilized around 50% of normal, indicating severe shortages and critically low reservoir levels with 2024 being among the driest years since 1981. The article also addresses the differences between meteorological and regulatory definitions of drought, emphasizing that the current situation, while severe, is not unprecedented and underscores ongoing challenges related to water management and climate change. Full Article
AWRA-WA Job Board
AWRA-WA is rolling out a job board! Interested in posting a job opening on the AWRA-WA website? AWRA-WA sponsors can submit job postings for free! Please contact Anurag Mishra for more information.
Not a Member? Join AWRA-WA! Please visit the Membership page to register.
Thank You, 2024 AWRA-WA Basin Sponsors!
Visit the Sponsorship Page or contact Katherine Taiclet for information about supporting AWRA-WA
