Transforming Water, West gathered scholars, innovators and policymakers on March 20 to discuss solutions to counter the United States' water challenges.
Previously known as the Rethinking Water series, the organizers rebranded the event to showcase a transition from thinking about water solutions to taking action to implement them. Urgency was stressed throughout the conference, with scientists sharing concerns about how current population growth contradicts the availability of water in the Southwest.
"We are in the midst of an area which is experiencing fairly critical water conditions," said Upmanu Lall, the director of the Water Institute at ASU. "They are acknowledged to a certain extent, but what is going to be done about those is not really being talked about nearly as much."
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The conference is held annually to provide a space for conversations about different approaches to legislative initiatives and specific projects tailored to various environments, including the Southwest. Lall said that while the event was held in Arizona, almost all of the speakers came from outside the state.
"These people are coming to a place thinking that this is a place where they would like to actually develop projects and do some things," Lall said. "In New York, it's much more of a national conversation."
Bruce Rittmann, the keynote speaker and the director of the Biodesign Swette Center for Environmental Biotechnology at ASU, said that problems concerning water allocation are not due to availability but rather distribution and effectiveness of water systems. One of his focuses at the event was shifting popular mindsets about wastewater to treating it as a valuable resource.
Rittmann's other ideas were centered around the principle that water is the foundation of life. He said there is a responsibility to provide future generations with access to the vital resource, so that water does not limit a healthy future.
Ed Curry, the founder of the Curry Seed and Chile Company, was appointed to the Governor's Water Policy Council in Arizona in 2023, and he offered an agricultural perspective at the event, discussing drought, crop failure and climate struggles.
Curry emphasized the importance of building connections to make change, especially working with the farming community. Through his role on the council, he said he invited other farmers to his home and sat down at the table with plates of chile relleno.
"When we'd come down, we had big meetings," Curry said. "Everybody's got an opinion on water."
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Layla Mushtaq, a master's student studying sustainability solutions, said she attended the event to learn as much as she could outside of the classroom before graduating in May.
"It's been so interesting being here," Mushtaq said. "There have been so many interesting talks, from art to infrastructure to the financial and business aspects of it."
She said the event would help her narrow her focus in her career search, especially living in the Southwest.
"Learning about these issues, water issues and resources in general, just understanding what's going on locally and globally, it's important for people like me who are planning on working in this field," Mushtaq said.
Transforming Water, West gathered many companies and great minds to solve the extremely pervasive issue of water availability.
"We have to think about ways by which we can engender solutions to the type of problems that occurred that overlooked context," Lall said. "We have to go beyond context. Otherwise, we will not make any progress whatsoever."
Edited by Kate Gore, Henry Smardo and Ellis Preston.
Reach the reporters at dforres5@asu.edu.
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