As Arizona faces climate change head on, water leaders are taking steps to ensure that development can continue, particularly in the most populous central part of the state. 

Three of the state鈥檚 leading water officials spoke about what is being done to sustain growth and other issues important to homebuilders and developers during a virtual 鈥渂reakfast鈥� meeting of the Valley Partnership, the voice of the real estate industry for the Phoenix region. 

鈥淲e are working on solutions that are needed to make sure your industry, other growth, and those who are already here have a secure water supply in the future,鈥� said Tom Buschatzke, director of the Arizona Water Resources Department. 

But Buschatzke and other water leaders also made it clear that the road ahead will be riddled with challenges.

Ted Cooke, general manager of the Central Arizona Project (CAP) that brings Colorado River to the state鈥檚 growing megaregion, and Joe Gysel, president of EPCOR USA Inc., which provides water and wastewater services in Arizona, New Mexico and Texas, also spoke at the event. 

Among the topics touched on: how Arizona鈥檚 Colorado River water supplies are holding up, forecasts for the next few years, and infrastructure projects to support the booming West Valley.

Water supplies should remain stable through 2023

Arizona鈥檚 Colorado River water supplies should remain stable for the next two years and likely beyond because of the historic seven-state (DCP) approved by Congress last year, said Buschatzke and Cooke, who led a statewide committee to negotiate Arizona鈥檚 part of the agreement. 

鈥淭his is more evidence that the Drought Contingency Plan that was approved by the Arizona Legislature and signed by Governor Ducey in early 2019 was a success,鈥� Buschatzke said. 

The DCP lays out measures for water conservation in Lake Mead, which stores Arizona鈥檚 river supplies including agreements by water stakeholders like CAP, cities and tribes to leave water in the lake and share excess water with users faced with supplies like Pinal County. 

Because of the DCP, the lake has not dropped to dreaded lower levels. If water levels start to dip lower, the agreement requires the state to take larger reductions in its annual Colorado River allocation. 

To help prevent that from happening, a new higher tier level was created last year, Tier Zero, that requires users to leave a certain amount of water in the lake when the聽elevation dips below 1,090 feet. If lake levels continue to drop, more tier levels kick in and more drastic cutbacks to water supplies.

This year, Arizona was under Tier Zero. And even though that required the state鈥檚 river  allocation to be reduced by 192,000 acre-feet, that鈥檚 good news, explained Cooke. 

Water users already have been leaving an excess of that amount in the lake on an annual basis. 

鈥淭he next tier is a 512,000 acre-feet reduction, so we鈥檙e actually pleased to be in Tier Zero,鈥� Cooke said. 

Tier Zero will continue in 2021, the federal Department of Reclamation . It is likely the lake will remain in Tier Zero in 2022 and 2023 though there is 鈥渞eal risk鈥� of it moving into the next level down, Tier 1, which starts at 1,075 feet, Cooke said.

Infrastructure projects to keep up with West Valley growth

Gysel of EPCOR, the largest private water company in Arizona, detailed some of the $600 million in investments it is making in Arizona including projects to support the booming West Valley.

One project completed last year is the $29.4 million expansion of the White Tanks Regional Water Treatment Plant in Surprise. The facility鈥檚 water output went from 20 million gallons per day to 33 million. The plant鈥檚 design incorporates a cutting-edge CoMag ballasted water clarification system, the first of its kind in Arizona.

EPCOR also recently constructed Luke 303, a $95 million water reclamation and wastewater treatment facility along the Loop 303 freeway near Luke Air Force Base.

Keeping up with the state鈥檚 growth is the company鈥檚 biggest challenge, Gysel said.

鈥淚t takes careful planning for infrastructure and water resources to support growth and stay ahead of growth,鈥� he said. 

Looking ahead 

As the three water leaders look ahead, they said there will be more emphasis on conservation, using modern technology to efficiently treat and store wastewater, and efforts to find other water supplies such as desalination of ocean water or Arizona鈥檚 brackish groundwater that has a high salt content. The state water department also is conducting groundwater modeling in the Phoenix region to assess supply. 

Water transfers from wetter parts of the state also are an option. Last year, the Gila River Indian Community entered into a $97.5-million, 25-year agreement that allows homebuilders to buy water from the tribe to replenish groundwater in the state鈥檚 growing megaregion. 

Meanwhile, water officials and stakeholders are beginning work on the that will be renewed in 2026 to protect the mighty Colorado River, the most important water resource in the Southwest. 

鈥淔irst and foremost, we need to protect what we have,鈥� Buschatzke said. 鈥淧robably 20 percent of our Colorado River allocation comes to Central Arizona.鈥�

The post Water leaders talk about how Arizona will sustain future growth appeared first on 番茄社区.

Pulling rural Arizona into digital age

Tens of thousands of residents and businesses in rural Arizona will see expanded access to reliable high speed internet service over the next two years. Places like Bullhead City, Fort Mohave, Page, Payson, Star Valley, and the Tonto Apache reservation. More rural highways will be getting connected, too.

Last week, Gov. Doug Ducey pledged to more than triple grant funding for broadband projects this year to $10 million to help erase the digital divide in rural areas.

Ducey also announced $50 million for the 鈥淪mart Highways Corridor鈥� initiative to bring connectivity to more rural highways as well.

鈥淲e鈥檙e just getting started,鈥� Gov. Ducey said last week after announcing plans to ratchet up efforts and funding to give rural communities the same competitive edge as their urban counterparts.

鈥淭hese grants are a crucial investment in rural Arizona,鈥� the governor said. 鈥淎ccess to fast, reliable internet will aid economic development, enhance educational opportunities, strengthen health care and improve public safety across rural Arizona.鈥�

Here鈥檚 what鈥檚 coming聽

Meanwhile, a number of projects are readying to break ground as a result of $3 million in grant funding approved last year. The Arizona Commerce Authority awards the grants through the state鈥檚 Rural Broadband Development Grant .

Development grants of up to $1 million were awarded for three projects this year:

• Mohave Electric Coop will provide high-speed broadband service at speeds up to 10 Gbps symmetrical to its 35,000 members in Bullhead City, Fort Mohave and Mohave Valley.
• Sparklight, formerly known as Cable One, will provide fiber to approximately 400 business customers in Payson, Star Valley and the Tonto Apache reservation that has symmetrical service up to 2 Gbps
• Commnet Wireless will create a new fiber-optic middle mile to Page to serve 310 small businesses and 1,066 households in the area.

Grants of up to $50,000 each were also awarded to Coconino County, Gila County, Springerville and St. Johns to start plotting broadband projects.

Highways targeted for connectivity

For more highway connectivity, the Arizona Department of Transportation will install more than 500 miles of broadband conduit and fiber optic cable along designated three highway segments:

• Interstate 17 between Sunset Point and Flagstaff
• Interstate 40 between the Arizona-New Mexico and Arizona-California borders
• Interstate 19 between Tucson and Nogales.

Rural digital crisis

Approximately 898,724 Arizona citizens – mostly in rural and tribal communities – have聽 limited or no access to high-speed internet, according to the 2018 Arizona Statewide Broadband Strategic Plan report. Only 78 percent of Arizonans have access to the internet in their home.

The governor鈥檚 announcement to triple grant funding this year is welcome news for rural residents, business owners, students and others who struggle to compete in the digital world, business and community representatives said.

Inadequate broadband services 鈥渕arginalize鈥� all individuals and businesses including commerce, education, medical services, work-from-home businesses, and emergency services, said Dave Lock, CEO of Grand Canyon State Electric Cooperative Association, the statewide association that represents Arizona鈥檚 electric cooperatives.

One of its cooperatives, Mohave Electric (MEC), is the first cooperative in the state to step up to offer high speed internet to consumers in its service area. Currently, only about 150 co-ops out of 900 in the U.S. have a broadband program.

Biggest step ever to close rural gap

About 19 million Americans, or 6 percent of the population, lack access to fixed broadband service at threshold speeds, according to a report from the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). In rural areas, nearly one-fourth of the population, 14.5 million people, lack access. In tribal areas, nearly one-third of the population lacks access.

Even in areas where broadband is available, approximately 100 million Americans still do not subscribe.

Over the past two decades, state and national leaders have been working to address rural connectivity, including launching the Rural Digital Opportunity Fund. The FCC will vote on rules Jan. 30 for the proposed plan that will allocate $20.4 billion to broadband providers serving rural areas in the U.S. This represents the biggest single step ever by the FCC toward closing the rural digital divide.

The fund, to be allocated over the next 10 years, is being made available for the first time to cable providers, wireless companies and electric co-ops, to move more urgently to close the divide.

“This new fund would target rural areas across the country where residents currently lack access to adequate broadband and would deploy high-speed broadband to millions of rural Americans in an efficient and effective manner,” FCC Chairman Ajit Pai said in a prepared statement.

The post Bringing rural Arizona up to (high) speed appeared first on 番茄社区.

A vision to fill in the dusty stretches of the Salt River with teeming development, recreation and wildlife refuges is becoming a reality step by step. 聽

The dream was something two elder Arizona statesmen, U.S. Sen. John McCain and U.S. Rep. Ed Pastor, worked their entire careers to nurture. 聽

Both passed away recently, just months after a historic meeting March 31, 2018 where all the necessary parties – tribes, cities, state and federal agencies, non-profit and business groups – committed in writing to make it happen. 聽

Called Rio Reimagined, the project鈥檚 first year was a blockbuster.

In addition to winning a coveted federal urban waters partnership, the Corps of Engineers has agreed to help with several projects. There is broad-based public and private support.

Riverfronts are also bustling with new multi-family residential, corporate and industrial development, particularly in Tempe Town Lake and Mesa.

Residential, hospitality and beautification projects are also moving forward in Goodyear, Buckeye and Avondale.

Suddenly, investors are interested in long ignored 鈥渂rownfields鈥� along the river, former landfills, mining pits and other areas that have been cleaned up and are suitable for development, said Melissa McCann, Director of the Arizona State University Exchange that is acting as a coordinator for Rio Reimagined as it takes root.

Much of the interest is due to most of the river鈥檚 corridor, roughly 70 percent, within federally designated opportunity zones, McCann said. Approved by Congress last year, the Opportunity Zone program is designed to bring capital investment into underserved areas. Investors receive reductions on capital gains taxes.

鈥� for innovative solutions for those sites,鈥� McCann said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 enticing for them to think that investors are interested in brownfield sites along the river that they wouldn鈥檛 have considered before.鈥�

Rio Reimagined wins coveted 鈥榬iver city鈥� partnership 聽

Rio Reimagined also just received a highly sought after prize. It is now one of 20 river cities involved in the Environmental Protection Agency鈥檚 Urban Waters Federal Partnership.

The Partnership offers many rewards: preference for grants, an ambassador position to coordinate the project for four years, and assistance from 20 federal agencies and 19 nonprofits that support the 19 other urban river systems. Intended to revitalize waterways and promote economic, environmental and social benefits, it also builds on local efforts to stimulate local economies and new jobs.

Arizona鈥檚 congressional delegation stepped in to nominate and win this coveted opportunity that will elevate the project鈥檚 potential exponentially. Sen. Martha McSally met with Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Andrew Wheeler to promote Arizona as an ideal fit for the partnership.

Industry and non-profits help carry dream forward

Many business and nonprofit groups also are involved in supporting and assisting Rio Reimagined. The non-profit Arizona Forward, which brings together business and civic groups to promote environmental sustainability and economic vitality, held its first Sustainability Summit to get a starting framework for the project. 聽More than 200 experts shared ideas and developed recommendations.

鈥淭his was an important first step in a major multi-generational project,鈥� Arizona Forward CEO Lori Singleton said after the summit. 鈥淲hen we brought in folks from the San Antonio Riverwalk and the Los Angeles River Revitalization and showed that these types of projects take a long time but have results that last generations, everyone got excited. We recognize this as an incredible opportunity to leave a meaningful legacy for future generations.鈥�

Among the many groups supporting Rio Reimagined are:

Arizona Forward

Valley Partnership

Arizona Audubon

Salt River Project

Greater Phoenix Leadership

Greater Phoenix Economic Council

Lower Gila River Collaborative

Kyl Center for Water Policy

Team Rubicon

Sonoran Institute

WESTMARC

Rio Salado project鈥檚 evolution 聽聽

Rio Reimagined is the next step in the evolution of the original Rio Salado Project started in the 60s by Arizona State University Design School students and staff.

Last year, fueled by the wish of Sen. McCain, eight river communities signed a letter of intent to coordinate to revitalize a 50-mile stretch of the Gila and Salt rivers. The rivers鈥� path slices through eight communities: the Gila River Indian Community, Phoenix, Mesa, Tempe, Avondale, Buckeye, Goodyear, and the Salt River-Pima Maricopa Indian Community

The project has multiple objectives: public open space, environmental and water quality, housing, transportation, economic development, workforce development, community sustainability and resilience for the future.

To see a map of the river, go to:

The post Exceptional first year for Rio Reimagined appeared first on 番茄社区.

Finding a job isn鈥檛 the process it used to be. If you鈥檙e on the hunt for a new occupation, you鈥檝e probably come across an online chat box personality asking how it can help you find your dream job. These virtual assistants or chatbots have literally popped up everywhere鈥攆rom mobile banking to entertainment ticket websites to food ordering. Now, they鈥檙e helping you find a job.

And in order to create those very happy and helpful virtual assistants there are engineering and software-friendly professionals who create the personalities and algorithms to help job seekers in their quest. One of those companies is Paradox Inc., a Scottsdale-based artificial intelligence recruiting startup, a company that just landed $13.34 million in Series A funding.

The non-institutional funding round, which was open to friends and family and close professional associates of the company, closed on Feb. 28 and is classified as growth capital, essentially laying the groundwork for more investment in the product. The company is also using the funding to pump life into sales, marketing and doubling the size of its current staff.

Company founder and CEO, Aaron Matos, has some experience in the recruiting world as he also carried the titles of founder and CEO of Jobing.com, another Scottsdale-based job posting and recruiting machine. Paradox has been self-financed until the opening round of funding and will move on to more finance opportunities after growth.

鈥淲e believe that today the recruiting experience should be mobile first and conversational, so we took these ideas and developed our recruiting AI assistant, Olivia,鈥� says Jessica Rush, Chief Marketing Officer at Paradox. 鈥淲e believe there is an opportunity to help spend more time with their talent by automating many of the administrative processes that exist in recruiting today.鈥�

Paradox鈥檚 mainstay machine learning, artificial intelligence-driven product is the Olivia AI careers assistant. The happy helping chatbot pops up right when you head to the company鈥檚 main website and has conversations with job candidates online and touts 24/7 service, answering questions and helping with things like employee referrals and applications. It can even take care of scheduling interviews. The assistant cuts out the middleman in job searching and applying, helping job seekers in communicating with companies through the role of AI.

鈥淲e’re proud to work with local Arizona clients, as well as national and global organizations who care about leading their industries in recruitment and candidate experience,鈥� adds Rush.

Currently, the tech startup is housed in southwest Scottsdale and is run by 45 employees as well as 30 off-site employees. Matos is currently planning to bring on another 45 employees within the next year to help with everything from software engineering to sales before expanding to Dallas and Chicago for regional operations.

At this point, Paradox has around 200 mid-market and enterprise customers on its roster with a shift in focus to boost the latter in the coming months. Customers such as Procter & Gamble, CVS Health and Staples are just a few of the startup鈥檚 high-profile clients.

The post AI-driven recruiting startup is changing the hiring landscape appeared first on 番茄社区.