News Stories for 2007
Announcing two new service areas
September 7 — M&A is now offering two new service areas — Water Resource Policy & Economics and Water Resource Engineering — to better serve our clients.
Water resource policy & economics
In Arizona and other arid areas, planning and capital investment decisions for many businesses are critically linked to the availability of sustainable water resources. Those looking to develop water supplies face not only the physical constraints dictated by hydrogeologic conditions but also constraints imposed by water policy and economics. Now M&A offers a more comprehensive, holistic approach to developing and managing water resources. Our new Water Resource Policy & Economics Division gives us the ability to help clients navigate the increasingly complex set of issues that impact long-term investments in water infrastructure. M&A’s Mark Myers and Juliet McKenna bring nearly 40 years of combined experience to clients utilizing this new service area.
Water resource engineering
In areas where supplies are scarce, incorporating sources with water quality constraints has become an increasingly important way to help meet demands. Whether water quality issues reflect natural conditions or impacts from human activities, effective treatment solutions are critical to the economic viability of a wide range of operations, including power generation facilities, wastewater treatment plants, and industrial manufacturing operations. Ideally, these solutions not only treat water in accordance with its intended end use, but they also minimize the generation of liquid wastes. M&A’s new Water Resource Engineering Division gives us the ability to help clients integrate a wide range of water sources into their supply portfolio by providing targeted treatment solutions. The Division is led by Jim Madole and Joel Peterson, seasoned professionals with more than 50 years of combined experience.
M&A offers water policy subscription service
September 7 — M&A is pleased to announce a new water policy monitoring and reporting service. This subscription-based service is ideal for managers, attorneys, and consultants who need water policy information but lack the resources to monitor important trends and developments themselves. We developed this service after recognizing a growing need for managers and decision makers to gather timely, accurate information about water policy trends, water economics, and opportunities for influencing policy development.
A 1-year subscription includes:
- Direct access to our water policy staff
- Periodic e-mail reports on relevant meetings of the Central Arizona Project, Arizona Water Banking Authority Commission, Arizona Department of Water Resources, and Arizona Department of Environmental Quality
- A monthly newsletter summarizing important state, regional, and national water issues
- Quarterly meetings in our office to review and obtain updates related to subscriber interests
For more information, contact Juliet McKenna or Mark Myers (520-881-4912).
M&A grows to more than 60 staff members in 2006 and 2007
September 7 — The past few years have been an exciting time at M&A! We’ve hired more than 20 highly qualified professionals in 2006 and 2007, expanding our capabilities significantly. Two of these new hires — Juliet McKenna and Mark Meyers — have enabled us to offer services in the area of Water Resource Policy & Economics. Likewise, the addition of Jim Madole and Joel Peterson has jump-started our new water-resource engineering group. Lyle Davis now heads our office in Santiago, Chile.
| Name, Degree | Exp (yrs) | Specialties |
|---|---|---|
| Tucson Office | ||
| Mark Thomasson, Ph.D., Hydrology | 7 | Flow and transport modeling of variably saturated, porous media |
| Daniel Guido, B.S., Forestry & Environmental Science | 5 | Monitoring system instrumentation, watershed hydrology |
| Howard Grahn, M.S., Hydrology | 25 | Mining hydrolgeogy, subsurface instrumentation and monitoring |
| Staffan Schorr, M.S., Hydrology | 8 | Hydraulic continuity, modeling, watershed hydrology, GIS applications |
| Zack Guido, M.S., Geology | 3 | Climate change and water resources especially in developing nations |
| Juliet McKenna, M.S., Geology | 12 | Hydrogeology and water policy |
| Kate Duke, M.S., Earth & Planetary Science | 7 | Geochemistry / hydrogeology |
| Timothy Allen, M.S., Geology | 30 | Soil and groundwater remediation, basin stratigraphy |
| Mark Myers, MBA | 25 | Water policy and economics |
| Jeffrey Gawad*, B.S., Environmental Hydrology | 4 | Isotope hydrogeology |
| Greg Wallace, B.S. Geology | 34 | Hydrogeology and public agency administration |
| Scottsdale Office | ||
| Jim Madole, B.S., Chemical Engineering | 27 | Water, wastewater, and process engineering |
| Joel Peterson, M.S., Civil Engineering | 25 | Water treatment system design, remediation, and permitting |
| Limitada Office | ||
| Lyle Davis, M.S., Agricultural Engineering | 25 | Mining hydrogeology and hydrologic modeling |
| Nicolás Iturra | 3 | Geology / hydrology |
| Max Chávez | 1.5 | Geology |
| Luis Gomez | 1 | Geology |
| Belen Varela | 1 | Geology |
| Bernardo Capino | 10 | Engineering / hydrology |
| Alvaro Henríquez | 3 | Geology / hydrology |
| Pedro Pizarro | 15 | Geology |
| Antonio Ormeño | 1 | Geology |
| Cristian Avilas | 3 | Geology |
| Fernanda Rojas | 19 | Geology / hydrology |
Another year of drought and climate extremes: Where’s El Niño when you need it?
February 1 — The year 2006 was characterized by weather extremes in the Tucson area. On one hand, the first 6 months were some of the driest on record. Then we experienced the sixth wettest monsoon season ever recorded, starting with 4.6 inches of much-needed rain in July. Although the rains extended well into September, this wet trend was punctuated by a remarkably dry fall and winter.
By the end of the year, records from the M&A weather station showed that our area of central Tucson received only 77 percent (9.37 inches) of its “normal” average yearly rainfall. Over 6 inches fell during the monsoon season alone. Compared to the 30-year average of 12.17 inches for the Tucson airport, our area came up short about 2.8 inches — even though the airport’s total was “near normal” at 11.81 inches. According to the U.S. Drought Monitor, regional conditions now range from “abnormally dry” east of Tucson to “severe drought” in western Pima County.
Forecasters have predicted El Niño conditions for early 2007. If they’re right, we may finally get some relief from this extended drought. Click here to view a chart comparing 2006 rainfall at our Tucson office weather station with average rainfall (PDF 20KB).
Acronyms & Abbreviations
