Sonoran Institute offers Growing Water Smart workshop for Southern Arizona; applications due Dec. 5

Alisa Stokes of the Sonoran Institute briefed the board on Growing Water Smart, a training and technical assistance program that helps local governments integrate water‑resource resilience with land‑use planning.

Stokes said the program has delivered 26 workshops across four states and worked with more than 1,000 participants from over 150 jurisdictions. The institute provides a 2½‑day workshop that convenes interdisciplinary local teams (typically six to eight officials representing planning, water management and other relevant departments) and leads peer exchanges, case studies and strategic team exercises to produce a 12‑ to 18‑month action plan. The institute also offers small technical assistance seed grants when funding allows.

For Arizona the presentation said the spring 2026 regional workshop will be held in Tucson, the workshop itself is free, travel is expected to be covered by participants though some lodging and meals can be provided, and applications are due Dec. 5. Stokes said Sonoran Institute has held six Arizona workshops to date and identified La Paz County and Pima County as regional peers. She encouraged county staff and an interdisciplinary team to apply and noted potential binational participation from Nogales, Sonora.

Supervisors asked about local participation history and whether the county’s rural water working group might coordinate involvement; Stokes said 32 Arizona jurisdictions have participated and recommended cross‑agency teams that include land‑use and water representatives.

Next steps listed by the institute included forming the 6–8 person team, completing the application by Dec. 5 and preparing goals for a two‑and‑a‑half‑day workshop that will produce specific, near‑term water resilience actions for the county to implement.