What is Nevada Water?

Nevada Water logo

Nevada Water is focusing on building a trusted network that can address urban-rural water challenges across the state.

We are in Phase 1, which is a 12-month network-building effort, funded by the National Science Foundation, that will include partners that represent the full range of water users, purveyors, managers, decision-makers, educators and researchers. Our guiding principle is Science With Society, which emphasizes inclusion, communication, connections and collaboration. Importantly, Nevada Water will not be developing policies or changing water law. Rather, it is intended as a learning network where we co-identify diverse challenges, fill knowledge gaps, understand the social and hydrologic dimensions of water issues, and co-develop strategies for addressing seemingly intractable water issues.

Photo credit: Janel Johnson – Nevada Division of Natural Heritage

University of Nevada, Reno logo

Nevada Water logo

Nevada Water logo

Nevada Water logo

Nevada State College logo

National Science Foundation

During the planning phase, our leadership team and partners will:

  • Listen to and learn from various groups of water providers, users, managers, etc. about how we each experience water-related challenges, and what issues are most important to our respective communities, organizations and livelihoods.
  • Brainstorm ideas for how a well-funded network of public, private, tribal, research, nonprofit and educational water resource partners can come together to facilitate equitable solutions.
  • Help design a Nevada Water network that will provide trusted information, collect unique and targeted data to answer key questions, offer research opportunities for students across the state, help educators create learning content, and develop equitable solutions to complex and seemingly intractable water problems.

How will we accomplish these goals?

  • Holding online small-group discussions
  • Touring the diverse urban and rural parts of Nevada to hear from network partners about their water challenges
  • Holding a two-day conference (in partnership with the Nevada Water Resources Association) to discuss what we’ve learned
  • Sharing our visions
  • Workshopping ideas for a fully-developed Nevada Water network

What's next?

Following this one-year effort, we will craft a five-year $15 million follow-on proposal to the National Science Foundation to implement the full Nevada Water Network.

What would the network do?

This question is what we seek to answer during the planning stage. The full implementation of Nevada Water could include developing advanced monitoring networks, data analysis, information sharing, education programs, funding for seed projects, fellowships for researcher-practitioner partnerships, webinars, workshops and more.

Participating Organizations

  • Carson City Public Works
  • Carson Water Subconservancy District
  • City of Reno
  • Clark County Water Reclamation District
  • Crawford Farms and Cattle
  • Eureka County Department of Natural Resources
  • Fallon Paiute Shoshone Tribe
  • Great Basin Water Network
  • Humboldt River Basin Water Authority
  • National Integrated Drought Information System
  • National Oceanic & Atmospheric Organization
  • National Park Service
  • National Weather Service
  • Nevada Association of Conservation Districts
  • Nevada Department of Transportation
  • Nevada Department of Wildlife
  • Nevada Division of Environmental Protection
  • Nevada Division of Natural Heritage
  • Nevada Division of Water Resources
  • Nevada Farm Bureau Federation
  • Nevada Indian Commission
  • Nevada Mining Association
  • Nevada Rural Water Association
  • Southern Nevada Water Authority
  • Trout Unlimited
  • Truckee Meadows Regional Planning Agency
  • Truckee Meadows Water Authority
  • U.S. Bureau of Reclamation
  • U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
  • USDA Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest
  • University of Nevada, Las Vegas
  • Walker Basin Conservancy
  • Washoe County

Meet the Nevada Water leadership team

Nevada Water
Anne Nolin
Anne Nolin
Professor, Department of Geography She/her/hers
(775) 682-6804
MS 204
6594
Nevada Water
Jennifer Edmonds
Jennifer Edmonds
Associate Professor, Physical and Life Sciences Department, Nevada State College
6594
Nevada Water
Eric Marchand
Eric Marchand
Associate Professor, Associate Chair for Undergraduate Affairs
(775) 784-6817
SEM 220
6594
Nevada Water
Steph McAfee
Steph McAfee
Associate Professor and State Climatologist She/her/hers
(775) 784-6999
MS 205
6594
Nevada Water
Sean McKenna
Sean McKenna
Executive Director of the Division of Hydrologic Sciences, Desert Research Institute
6594
Nevada Water
Laurel Saito
Laurel Saito
Nevada Water Strategy Director of the Nature Conservancy and President of the Nevada Water Resources Association
6594

Questions or feedback?

Reach out to members of the Nevada Water leadership team or fill out the Formstack embedded below.