** AWARDS ISSUED PRIOR TO JANUARY 20, 2025, WERE FUNDED UNDER PREVIOUS ADMINISTRATIONS AND MAY NOT REFLECT THE PRIORITIES AND POLICIES OF THE CURRENT ADMINISTRATION.** WATER-SCARCE REGIONS IN THE WESTERN US NEED NEW MANAGEMENT STRATEGIES TO GROW FOOD FOR THE COUNTRY ANDMAINTAINECOSYSTEM FUNCTION. THE PRESSURE OF INCREASED HUMAN POPULATION AND FOOTPRINT, INCREASED FREQUENCY AND SEVERITY OF DROUGHT, AND RELIANCE ON DWINDLING WATER SOURCES FOR AGRICULTURE, ENVIRONMENT, AND COMMUNITIES HAS RESULTED IN A BROKEN SYSTEM WITH LIMITED FLEXIBILITY. WITH COMMUNITY ADVISOR PARTICIPATION AT EVERY STEP, THIS PROJECT CREATES A NEW DECISION-SUPPORT TOOL, AND INCREASES UNDERSTANDING AND OUTCOMES FOR DATA-DRIVEN DECISION-MAKING AMONG GROWERS AND WATER MANAGERS. THE TEAM INCLUDES EXPERTS IN WEATHER AND WATER INFORMATION, MODELING, INSTITUTIONAL DESIGN, ANDCROSS-DISCIPLINARYRESEARCH, EDUCATION, AND ACTIONABLE OUTREACH. THE COLLABORATION WILL BRING THE FINDINGS OF THESE EXPERTS TOGETHER INTO LOCALIZED USE CASES TO SERVE AS ILLUSTRATIONS OF THE RESEARCH AS ADAPTED TO LOCAL CONDITIONS AND CONSTRAINTS. THROUGH THREE USE CASES (SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY, CA; MESILLA VALLEY, NM; CACHE VALLEY, UT) WITH DIFFERING WATER LAWS AND SIMILAR ORCHARD AND ROW CROP AGRICULTURAL SYSTEMS, SNOW-FED WATER SYSTEMS, CONJUNCTIVE USE INFRASTRUCTURE, WE WILL SYNTHESIZE OPPORTUNITIES TO INCREASE FLEXIBILITY AND WATER SECURITY IN THE SEMI-ARID WESTERN US.AS A SOLUTION, WITH COMPARATIVELY LOW INFRASTRUCTURE COSTS ANDA SHORT TIMETO DEVELOP, ITERATE AND DELIVER, THIS PROJECT WILL INVESTIGATE AND DEVELOP DATA-DRIVEN DECISION-MAKING TOOLS AND INSTITUTIONAL DESIGN RECOMMENDATIONS BASED ON IMPROVED WATER MEASUREMENT, MANAGEMENT, AND MARKETS TO ACHIEVE WATER SECURITY. INNOVATIVE WATER MARKETS OFFER FLEXIBILITY IN MANAGEMENT, ESPECIALLY WHEN SUPPORTED BYTIMELY, TRANSPARENT, ANDACCURATEWATER USE AND INFORMATION AND SCALED WEATHER DATA IN TRADING LOCATIONS. LEVERAGING ADVANCES IN THE TECHNOLOGIES AROUND MEASUREMENT, FROM SENSORS TO INSTRUMENTATION AND INFORMATION, AND ASSEMBLING EXISTING DATA PLATFORMS AROUND WATER AND WEATHER INFORMATION WILLFACILITATEPARTICIPATION IN NOVEL WATER MANAGEMENT STRATEGIES AND WATER MARKETS. ONE OUTPUT OF THE PROGRAM IS A DASHBOARD FOR DATA-DRIVEN DECISION-MAKING TO SUPPORT AGRICULTURE AND ECOSYSTEMS IN MANAGING INTERANNUAL WEATHER VARIABILITY AND EXTREMES, ESPECIALLY MULTI-YEAR DROUGHTS, FROM FIELD TO REGIONAL SCALES. INCLUDED IN THE DASHBOARD WILL BE WATER BUDGET ACCOUNTING INCLUDING EVAPOTRANSPIRATION -- ONE OF THE MOST DIFFICULTWATERUSES TO CALCULATE -- AND GROUNDWATER RECHARGE SCENARIOS. GROUNDWATER RECHARGE THROUGH FLOOD MANAGED AQUIFER RECHARGE ACTS AS A MEANS OF STORING SURFACE WATER IN LARGE AQUIFERS UNDERGROUND, WHICH WILL PROVIDE A TOOL TO FLEXIBLY MANAGE THE INTERANNUAL VARIABILITY OF PRECIPITATION ANDFACILITATEWATER TRADING IN SOME SCENARIOS. INTEGRATION OF FIELD MEASUREMENTS, HYDROLOGICAL MODELING, ANDHYDROECONOMICSWILLPROVIDENOVEL INSIGHTS INTO COMPLEX WATER MANAGEMENT CHALLENGES WITH VARIED GEOGRAPHICCONTEXTS. BY COUPLINGHYDROECONOMICAND LIFE-CYCLE ASSESSMENT WITH WATER ACCOUNTING AND DATA ON REGIONAL WEATHER VARIABILITY, THE PROJ,ECT GOAL IS TO EVALUATE AND ENABLE WATER TRADING FORSTRONGERAGRICULTURAL AND ECOLOGICAL SYSTEMS IN THE SOUTHWESTERN US.MARKETS ALSO NEED TO BE ADAPTED TO THE LOCAL WATER LAWS AND CUSTOMS. EXPERTS IN ECONOMICS, LAW, AND POLICY WILL USE LITERATURE REVIEWS AND COMMUNITY ADVISOR INPUTS TOIDENTIFYBARRIERS TO ENTRY IN VARIOUS WATER TRADING AND MARKETS SYSTEMS, WITH ATTENTION TO THE INFORMATION NEEDED TOPARTICIPATE. THE INTEGRATION OF TESTBEDS, THE WATER DATA DASHBOARD, AND SOCIOECONOMIC BEHAVIORPROVIDES THE LOCI FOR EXAMINATION OF POLITICAL PROCESSES, OUTCOMES, AND APPLICATIONS WITH THE GOAL OF IMPROVING ACCESS ANDAPPROPRIATE ALLOCATIONOF RESOURCES.BUILDING ON YEARS OFEXPERTISEIN EDUCATION, CURRICULUM DEVELOPMENT, AND GRADUATE TRAINING, THE PROGRAM INCLUDES A PROGRAM FORAGSTEMLEARNERS AT MULTIPLE LEVELS. A NOVELCOMPONENTOF COMPUTER GAME DESIGN FOSTERS UNDERSTANDING OF TRADEOFFS IN WATER MANAGEMENT. THE GRADUATE STUDENT MULTI-DISCIPLINARY SCIENCE ACADEMY IS AN EDUCATIONAL PROGRAM THAT TRAINS THE NEXT GENERATION OF LEADERS THROUGH REAL-WORLD LEARNING IN AGENCIES AND NGOS, COMPUTATIONAL TRAINING, AND SCIENCE COMMUNICATION PRAXIS.FINALLY, IN CONTRAST TO TYPICAL FORMS OF EXTENSION AND OUTREACH, THIS PROGRAM STARTS WITH BROAD STAKEHOLDER INPUT AND IMPLEMENTS A DAY ONE APPROACH TO PROJECT ADVISORS SHAPING, INQUIRING, AND GUIDING THE RESEARCH, EDUCATION, AND OUTREACH PROGRAMMING. TO ENSURE THE INFORMATION SYSTEMS ARE USEFUL, ENGAGEMENT WITH ADVISORS VIA SURVEYS, WORKSHOPS, AND OTHER INTERACTIONS WILL LEAD TO A NEW UNDERSTANDING OF THE INSTITUTIONAL DESIGN.