(Photo by Casey Kuhn - KJZZ)

Two USDA-NRCS engineers measure snow pack near Pine, Arizona.

Arizona’s water challenges are typically pretty dramatic. Snowpack in the high country was light this season, and the deserts get little precipitation.

The Colorado River is moving closer to a shortage declaration, which would affect the state’s supply. And required conservation is not part of our vocabulary.

But the state has been credited with being visionary when it comes to water banking and groundwater. The business of water is a big part of the current and future plans for the state’s supply.

That is the overarching topic of a conference being held Wednesday in Tucson and hosted by the Univeresity of Arizona’s Water Resources Research Center.

Sharon Megdal, director of the research center, joined The Show to talk about the conference.