Daniel Salzler No. 1342
EnviroInsight.org Six Items January 23, 2026
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- Water Research Resource Center (WRRC) Now Accepting 104(b) Water Research Grant Proposals. The WRRC is now accepting proposals for this year’s federal WRRA 104(b) grants. The Water Resources Research Act (WRRA) Section 104(b) program provides small grants for university-based research projects on water-related issues in Arizona.
Proposals featuring student work are encouraged.
The typical 104(b) award is $10,000 for one project year, expected to run from September 1 through August 31. With help from topic experts, the WRRC reviews proposals and includes those selected in its annual submission to the US Geological Survey (USGS), which administers the 104(b) program. Proposal instructions can be found at the links below. The deadline to submit a 104(b) proposal this year is 5:00 pm MST on Monday, March 16, 2026.
The WRRC also assists with the 104(g) program, which supports research that is regional or national in scope. Faculty and research personnel at any of Arizona’s three state universities may submit proposals for the 104(b) and/or 104(g). Both grants requires that there be a 1:1 match of non-federal to federal dollars. Please work with the appropriate budget office personnel in advance of proposal submission.
Researchers interested in applying for the 104(g) should review the 2025 RFP as a guide and anticipate an early-April 2026 submission. Although this award is administered by USGS, 104(g) grant proposals must be submitted through the state water resources research institutes (WRRI) authorized by the WRRA; the WRRC is Arizona’s designated WRRI. Please check the USGS Water Resources Research Act (WRRA) Program webpage, as well as the WRRC 104(g) webpage, for updates and the 2026 RFP release.
As always, 104(b) and 104(g) grants are subject to the availability of federal funding. Due to uncertainty around federal funding and timelines, it is unclear whether this year’s funding amounts and timelines will be comparable to that of previous years. The 2026 Request for Proposals (RFP) for the 104(b) and 104(g) from USGS have not yet been released. Please check the links below for updates as they become available.
2. Microbial Genes Could Improve Our Understanding of Water PollutionMicrobial.
Genes Could Improve Our Understanding of Water Pollution. Underground environments like soil and aquifers teem with microbial life. These tiny microbes play a big role in cycling nutrients and breaking down or transforming pollutants. However, scientists still struggle to reliably model how microbes grow and decay.
Most studies of groundwater microbe communities focus on free-floating planktonic microbes, which make up less than 10% of an aquifer’s microbial population. The majority of microbes in groundwater are attached to sediment, making examination more difficult. Many studies are also done in labs, rather than on site.
The project, led by Stobel, et.al., set out to study whether tracking biomarkers, such as specific genes produced by microbes during their life cycles, can improve models aimed at predicting how well microbes degrade pollutants in aquifers. They conducted research in southwestern Germany’s Ammer River floodplain, where groundwater sources with low oxygen levels and sediment with a high organic carbon content were ideal for microbial denitrification (the reduction of nitrate to nitrogen gas) to occur. The team constructed two 8.4-meter-deep wells surrounded by PVC casings and inserted seven microbial trapping devices (MTDs)—containers of sterilized sediment packed into a filter that served as a proxy for the microbial community in the aquifer matrix—into one of the wells. The MTDs remained submerged for 4.5 months prior to any experiments to allow the microbial community time to adapt to the environment and proliferate.
During a roughly 10-day period, while the MTDs were in the outflow well, the researchers injected nitrate-rich groundwater at the inflow well and extracted groundwater from the outflow well. The presence of nitrate, a pollutant that comes from sources such as fertilizer and sewage waste, spurred the microbial community into the process of denitrification. The team monitored the concentration of nitrate at the outflow and periodically withdrew an MTD to be transported to a lab for DNA analysis.
The growing abundance of key denitrification genes (napA and narG) in the earlier samples, followed by a decline in the later samples, indicated a dynamic microbial response to the added nitrate. The researchers’ efforts to use mathematical models to match their observations showed the importance of microbial growth during denitrification to control the extent of nitrate removal. The researchers note that though MTDs do not act as a perfect proxy for studying real aquifers, overall, the findings provide insight into the use of biomarkers to track biogeochemical processes, such as denitrification, in nature. Source: Journal of Geophysical Research: Biogeosciences, https://doi.org/10.1029/2025JG009181, 2025) Rebecca Owen (@beccapox.bsky.social), Science Writer
3. Gov. Hobbs \Highlights Affordability, Education, Water Security In 2026 State Of The State Address. Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs highlighted her top priorities, including affordability, housing, erasing medical debt and education, during her annual State of the State address on Monday.
Here’s what Hobbs spoke on during her 2026 State of the State speech:
For 2026 State of the State, Hobbs’ top priority shifts to affordability. Last year, Hobbs said her top priority was the border. In 2026, that focus has shifted to affordability — but she did address the issue, calling on the federal government to repay the Grand Canyon State for the more than $700 million its spent on border security since 2021.
The governor added that she wants to prioritize strengthening the state’s economy, by both attracting entrepreneurs and multinational companies to Arizona and helping residents find good jobs.
Among other things, Gov. Hobbs discussed water security.
Hobbs promises to crack down on outsiders slurping up Arizona water
“Today I am announcing a new Active Management Area for La Paz County to crack down on the out-of-state special interests that are pumping our state dry while Arizona families and farmers suffer,” Hobbs said.
“Why do we need another AMA? Because in the Ranegras Plain Groundwater Basin, the land is sinking and legislators are shirking their responsibility.”
The new AMA will help protect local water supplies while empowering residents, she said. It represents the type of “smart growth” she hopes to continue pursuing in the future.
The full transcript of Hobbs’ 2026 State of the State address can be found here.
4. Making Meals Without Microplastics: Tips For Safer Cutting Boards. Depending on the type of cutting board you use, your home-cooked meals could be contaminated with an unlikely ingredient – microplastics – according to a recent study.
For the research, published in the peer-reviewed journal Ecotoxicology and Public Health, scientists tested contamination by cutting carrots on two types of plastic cutting boards, one made with polypropylene and the other with polyethylene. Their goal was to estimate the total per-person annual exposure to microplastics from using the boards.
They measured as many as 1,114 microplastic particles – pieces of plastic less than five millimeters long – each time the board was used to cut carrots.
The researchers, led by scientists from the University of North Dakota, also found that cutting carrots on a plastic board can generate as much as 15 particles of microplastics per cut, or about 50 grams per year – roughly equivalent to the weight of ten plastic credit cards.
The amounts vary, depending on the cutting style of the cook, the sharpness of the knife and the type of food being cut. Scientists estimated that a cutting board sees about 500 chops a day, but this will vary with the meal being prepared. Cooking a meal can involve many different steps, and not every bit of microplastic that’s generated finds its way into the final product.
Potential Health Harms
Growing evidence suggests microplastics may be a public health concern. Microplastics have been found in human lungs, blood and even in the placenta.
A group of scientists in South Korea recently sounded the alarm about potential health harms after reviewing research on microplastics. Microplastic shapes can interfere with digestive and respiratory systems, and the chemical additives they release can disrupt the endocrine and reproductive systems.
Any plastic object can become a source of microplastics once it begins to degrade. A Pew Charitable Trust study pointed to tires as a major source of pollution, finding that 78 percent of microplastic particles in the ocean is from “tire dust.”
A particularly worrying source of particles are the caps of water bottles, since the particles drop directly into the drinking water inside the bottle.
Avoid microplastics by using alternatives to plastic cutting boards – neither glass, marble, bamboo nor wood will cause a microplastic mess. Wooden cutting boards, which have natural antimicrobial properties, are typically the cheapest.
If you want to keep using your plastic cutting board pay attention to how you slice – the carrots study found that the style someone cuts affects the amount of plastic generated. And remember to wash the board after each use.
To limit your exposure to microplastics, it’s also a good idea to avoid using plastic utensils and kitchenware.
Besides switching to a non-plastic cutting board, you can:
- Avoiding drinking from disposable plastic water bottles. If you do have to drink from them, try to keep them out of the sun in a cool, dry environment. Disposable plastic water bottles degrade very easily in response to temperature change or mechanical stress.
- Microwave your food in glass containers, rather than plastic or takeaway containers. Heating food in plastic containers can release millions of microplastic particles into your food.
- Filter your water. Due to widespread use and pollution of plastic, water can sometimes contain microplastic particles. Home water filters can be effective at reducing many contaminants, including microplastics.
- Dust and vacuum regularly. Removing excess dust from your kitchen can help cut down on the amount of microplastic fibers in the dust that could contaminate your food.
5. City Of Sedona Commits $22M For Wells. The Sedona City Council, with Councilwoman Kathy Kinsella absent and Councilwoman Charlotte Hosseini attending virtually, directed staff on Dec. 10 to move forward with a $22 million plan over the next two to three years to add recharge wells and explore supplying water to the Dells.
The city will abandon 200 acres of irrigation and construct up to four additional recharge wells.
The plans include two new recharge wells now, with two additional wells planned for future capacity.
The plans include two new recharge wells now, with two additional wells planned for future capacity.
“I should note that that $22 million is just for the two wells,” Sedona Wastewater Director Roxanne Holland said. “If we need two more for capacity later, that would be an additional, probably over $22 million, because it will be far in the future. So that $22 million is not for four wells.”
Both irrigation and injection wells are methods cities use to dispose of treated wastewater from the reclamation plants.
“From an operational standpoint, my preference would be to abandon [irrigation],” Holland said. “It’s difficult to manage effluent management with irrigation that is unpredictable. Injection wells, they’re tested … and they have been very predictable for us. Every day, our recharge well will take 360,000 gallons” whereas “there are some days that irrigation will take zero.”
Council considered five total options for wastewater, with the cheapest calling for the construction of two recharge wells and keeping irrigation disposal, to the most expensive option of $161 million for the construction of an Advanced Water Purification facility that could purify recycled water back into drinking water that meets federal and local drinking water standards.
“AWP does not seem cost-effective under any circumstances, we’ve got assured water supply,” Interim Vice Mayor Brian Fultz said.
Arizona Water Company representatives reiterated their October presentation to council that AWC’s groundwater modeling shows Sedona’s groundwater meets current Adequate Water Supply Requirements and is reasonably expected to be available for at least the next 100 years.
The “predictive scenarios show: 100-year depth to water ranges from 420 to 790 feet below land surface. A 100-year drawdown of up to 200 feet,” AWC stated.
AWC’s models ran four scenarios with annual groundwater pumping ranging from 2,049 acre-feet per year to 4,361 acre-feet per year that also accounted for a decrease in water availability because of climate change.
Councilman Pete Furman was a dissenting voice, stating that, while advanced water purification is costly, he could see a possibility of a municipality downstream being interested in Sedona’s treated water. His comments come as communities across the Southwest grapple with increasing aridification — including Phoenix, which received $179 million in federal funding in August for its North Gateway Advanced Water Purification Facility.
“We got a good assured water supply for a while,” Furman said. “What I really believe is the value of our effluent is increasing every day. If we pay attention to the news … folks are trying to figure out how to get new water sources every day … but someone’s going to come knocking on our door to want to … take that effluent, get it into the Verde River, and they’ll pull it off downstream,” and compensate Sedona.
Council’s decision doesn’t preclude a future council from investigating an AWP for the city.
AWC’s existing infrastructure doesn’t go out to the Dells, and while the city currently has a well at the administration site for the wastewater treatment plant for city services, it is not sufficient for development at the Dells and additional water infrastructure is needed to support the buildout of the Dells.
The council’s decision came after environmental and geotechnical studies were conducted on the Dells land, as requested in July. These assessments included testing for 37 specific contaminants. Testubg found no contamination or environmental issues exceeding established standards. The soil was also determined to be suitable for construction, and no remediation was required, confirming the land can be developed without concern for contamination. Source: Red Rock News January 12, 2026
6. For Those Who HaveTo Know And May Have Missed The Chance In A Recent Watershed Info. Newsletter And Want More Information .Go online to read the Post-2026 Operational Guidelines and Strategies for Lake Powell and Lake Mead – Draft Environmental Impact Statement
https://www.usbr.gov/ColoradoRiverBasin/post2026/draft-eis/index.html
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