Colorado River Shortage Impacts in Central Arizona

by Dr. Kathryn Sorensen, Director of Research at the Kyl Center for Water Policy at Morrison Institute

ABOUT THE SEMINAR: Colorado River shortages have deep implications for water users in central Arizona because the Colorado River water delivered through Central Arizona Project canal into the Phoenix-Tucson metropolitan area is lower in priority than the Colorado River water used in Western Arizona and California. Dr. Sorensen will discuss the impacts of these shortages on municipal water providers, tribes, farmers and other stakeholders in central Arizona.

ABOUT THE SPEAKER: Dr. Sorensen served for many years as Director of Phoenix Water Services as well as Director of the City of Mesa Water Resources Department. In these roles she was responsible for the delivery of safe, clean, reliable water for millions of Arizonans, and significantly advanced the sustainable management of water resources in Arizona and the Colorado River basin. Dr. Sorensen earned a PhD in Agricultural and Resource Economics from Texas A&M University and a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from the University of Michigan. In her position at Arizona State University, she oversees the research efforts of the Kyl Center for Water Policy, serves as a Professor of Practice at the Watts College of Public Service and Community Solutions, and as a Senior Global Futures Scientist at the Julie Ann Wrigley Global Futures Laboratory. Dr. Sorensen is a member of the Colorado River Research Group.

Host or Publisher UCR School of Public Policy