WRRC Reports NIWR Meeting, Capitol Hill Visits to be Productive and Informative
During the last week of February, WRRC Director Sharon B. Megdal and Associate Director Jamie McEvoy attended the annual meeting of the National Institutes of Water Resources (NIWR) in Washington DC. The meeting provided opportunities for updates on the proposal process for the 104(b) and 104(g) grants, a presentation on the US Geological Survey’s National Water Availability Assessment Report, discussions of federal appropriations and budget processes, and overviews of accomplishments from some of the institutes. McEvoy presented the results of the WRRC’s survey of NIWR institutes on expanding outreach and engagement. Following the NIWR annual meeting was a day of Capitol Hill visits; with coordinating assistance from the U of A Federal Relations team, Megdal and McEvoy made several Hill visits, which focused on providing information about the importance of WRRC’s ongoing work through its federally-funded programs, such as the Water Resources Research Act Program and the Transboundary Aquifer Assessment Program.