Seven new water resources research projects have been approved for funding during FY1974-75 by the Office of Water Resources Research, U.S. Department of the Interior, according to Director Sol Resnick of the University of Arizona Water Resources Research Center. Two other projects, previously approved, have received funding under a supplemental appropriation for the last quarter of FY1973-74. These projects are all part of the OWRR Annual Allotment Program. In addition, six Allotment projects funded during the past year have been granted continuing support for further research during the coming year.

The Secretary of the Interior recently approved the establishment of an Office of Water Research and Technology (OWRT) under the Assistant Secretary for Land and Water Resources. Dr. Warren A. Hull, formerly Director of the Office of Water Resources Research, has been appointed Acting Director of OWRT. The functions of the Office of Water Resources Research and the Office of Saline Water will be combined in OWRT. The basic objectives of the former offices, OWRR and OSW, are not changed by this reorganization. However, it will add a new dimension of water resources development to assure .the systematic and orderly application of research to our serious water problems. The university community, especially the water research institutes and their cooperating university parties, will continue to be relied upon heavily for the basic research program under the presently authorized allotment, matching grant and Title II programs. Desalination research and development will remain major responsibilities of OWRT. Added to these, however, will be a broader spectrum of development initiatives directed toward the more critical water-related problems.

The Water Resources Scientific Information Center (WRSIC) bibliographic data base is now available for retrieval on the Atomic Energy Commission's RECON system through the University of Arizona, which is the fifth terminal station in the Office of Water Research and Technology (OWRT) network. States being served by the University of Arizona are Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Nevada, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Oregon, Texas, Utah, and Washington.

Twelve new water resources research projects have been approved for funding during FY1975-76 by the Office of Water Research and Technology (OWRT), U.S. Department of the Interior, according to Sol Resnick, Director of the University of Arizona Water Resources Research Center. In addition, four projects funded during the past year have been granted continuing support for further research during the coming year.

The Water Resources Scientific Information Center (WRSIC) bibliographic data base is available for computerized retrieval on the Energy Research and Development Administration's RECON system through the University of Arizona on a no-cost basis. States being served by the University of Arizona are Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Nevada, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Oregon, Texas, Utah, and Washington.

Sol Resnick, Director of the University of Arizona Water Resources Research Center, wishes to announce that on January 2, 1976, he sent out the annual invitation for preliminary proposals for participation in the FY 1977 Allotment Grant of the U.S. Office of Water Research and Technology (OWRT). Funding for water resources research projects under the OWRT Allotment is available to anyone in the State University System (ASU, NAU, or UA).

For the past five years the Water Resources Research Center (WRRC), University of Arizona, aas been coordinating a program of Information Dissemination and Technology Transfer. The purpose of the project is to present research and other water-related information and findings to the public, and various governmental agencies and organizations, for practical application and use in planning and decision making.

Secretary of the Interior Rogers C.B. Morton announced that Dr. William S. Butcher of Austin, Texas, has been named Director of the Office of Water Research and Technology (OWRT). Dr. Butcher comes to the post from The University o Texas at Austin, where he was Professor of Civil Engineering. From January 1971 to January 1973 he served as Assistant to the President's Science Advisor in the Office of Science and Technology, Executive Office of the President. He was Associate Director of the Water Resources Research Center of the Desert Research Institute, University of Nevada, Reno, from 1967 to 1969.

The 19th Annual Arizona Watershed Symposium will be held September 24, 1975, at the Desert Hills Motel in Phoenix. The Symposium, co-hosted by the Arizona Water Resources Committee and the Arizona Water Commission, is open to the public. This year's program promises to be interesting, although it will be hard to match last year's landmark event.

When the state’s urban dwellers think of rural water resources – if they think of them at all – they most likely think of recreational opportunities, like fishing, boating and camping. Residents of rural areas of the state, however, are confronting a wide range of water issues, with ensuring sufficient supplies being the most critical issue. The rural water management strategy that is adopted must reflect the physical, social and cultural characteristics unique to the non-urban regions of Arizona.