Assessment of the Navajo Nation Hydroclimate Network Final Report

During 2007, investigators from Arizona's three state universities undertook an investigation of Navajo Nation's hydroclimate network. The project, funded by the newly-formed Arizona Water Institute (AWI), was requested by the Navajo Nation Department of Water Resources (NNDWR) to follow up on a 2003 Technical Memorandum, which, among its many conclusions, stated that NNDWR needed to reduce its network in order to facilitate data collection, reduction, and quality control commensurate with its human resources. The overarching goal of the project is to provide science-based advice to improve data collection and processing in support of climate, drought, and hydrologic analyses, while reducing the manpower required to manage the network. In consultation with NNDWR, the AWI project team visited data collection stations, interviewed staff, analyzed NNDWR hydroclimate data, evaluated instrumentation and data communication needs, identified potential improvements, and determined options for reducing overall network size – while filling in key data gaps. At NNDWR's request, the AWI project team convened a workshop to explore possibilities for NNDWR to achieve its goals through collaboration and exchange of data with outside agencies.