Net Zero Urban Water Research Coordination Network

NZUW presentation — Courtney Crosson presenting the NZUW RCN at South by Southwest Conference in Austin in 2023

Project Team

Courtney Crosson, University of Arizona, Associate Professor, CAPLA, Director, Drachman Institute
Neha Gupta, University of Arizona, Assistant Research Professor, Arizona Institute for Resilience
Stephanie Pincetl, University of California Los Angeles, Professor, Environmental Science and Engineering; Director, California Center for Sustainable Communities
Tzahi Cath, Colorado School of Mines, Professor, Civil and Environmental Engineering, Advanced Water Technology Center
Caroline Scruggs, University of New Mexico, Associate Professor, Natural Resources and Environmental Planning
Rashi Bhushan, University of Arizona, CAPLA, Post Doctoral Research Associate

Project Collaborators

Academic

University of Arizona Water Network
University of Arizona Water Resources Research Center
The University of California Los Angeles
The University of New Mexico
Colorado State University
Colorado School of Mines

Utility

Tucson Water
Pima County Flood Control
Pima County Wastewater
Denver Water
Albuquerque Bernalillo County Water Utility Authority
Los Angeles Department of Water and Power

Community

Project Overview

Following the conceptual models of net zero energy and carbon systems, the overall purpose is to define and examine the viability and value of pursuing a NZUW approach in arid and semi-arid urban scenarios of varying size and location serviced by the Colorado River (e.g., Los Angeles, Denver, Albuquerque, Tucson). NZUW is a place-based, comprehensive, quantitative framework to guide the development of resilient and sustainable water systems that are capable of responding to acute shocks and chronic stressors and integrate dynamic socio-environmental systems into the analysis. NZUW is a framework that pushes the current conceptual boundaries of urban water systems by accounting for the integrated socio-environmental systems necessary to transition to a resilient, sustainable water future.

This Research Coordination Network (RCN) has three objectives:

The creation of an overall research road map to address the challenges of shifting cities toward sustainable, resilient urban water systems. Research gaps will be identified across seven research areas through a series of workshops, literature reviews, stakeholder interviews, focus group discussions, and pre and post workshop surveys. Participation will be engaged from inside and outside of the traditional academy, including collaborators from industry, the nonprofit sector, municipal and utility groups, and policy think-tanks.
The initiation, coordination, and dissemination of NZUW related research through a newsletter, website, and social media.
Assessment across multiple time scales.

Seven prominent research areas have been identified across socio-environmental systems in our novel NZUW framework:

Alternative water sources and retrofit
Distributed soft infrastructure
Surface and groundwater interactions
Treatment and management technologies
Public preference
Policy and governance
Equity and justice across urban water

Short term impacts include:

Dissemination of multidisciplinary knowledge on the current challenges to urban water systems in the southwest
Identification of socio-environmental research gaps toward a comprehensive NZUW model
Training of a postdoctoral fellow
Initiation of collaborative research partnerships and proposals to address these gaps
Creation of an integrated and dynamic NZUW framework. Participation by all interested parties will be actively promoted through the website, newsletter, and social media

Long term impacts include:

A novel NZUW conceptual framework to coordinate long term multidisciplinary research
The delivery of decision support through comprehensive models to quantitatively evaluate dynamic trade-offs in NZUW systems across spatial and temporal time scales
The training of students through the seeded research projects that grow out of this RCN
The long term partnerships formed between academic, public, and private sectors involved in this RCN toward the reinvention and adaptation of urban water systems serviced by the Colorado River

Over 40 million people currently rely on an over-allocated Colorado River for their water supply. Climate change, drought, urban development, and population growth are making shortages worse. Our NZUW research network will improve the sustainability, resilience, and adaptation of these urban water systems, thus directly impacting these 40 million people.