Water 101: What, When, Where, How? – Sierra Vista

Water exists above, below, and all around us.  Water regularly moves through a series of places, and is recycled back again!  Much of the water we see and use started in the ocean.  This water was moved by the energy of the sun and the pull of gravity to get here.  It can take a long time, or a short time, to move water from one place to another.  Surface water (like streams and lakes) and groundwater (like aquifers) are very closely related, and are important parts of the water cycle.

Victoria Hermosilla was born on a small ranch in southern California with five wells that frequently went dry, and discussions of rain, drought, and everything in between.  This constant water awareness continued when she moved to Arizona in 2006.  She earned an associate’s of science at Cochise Community College then a bachelor’s degree in Hydrogeology from Northern Arizona University.  Victoria began working for Clear Creek Associates in 2012 as a field hydrologist, where the majority of her work was with the mines and their groundwater contamination challenges.  When she wasn’t working in the field, Victoria spent time volunteering with Watershed Management Group assisting fellow citizens install passive and active rainwater harvesting features.  She was inspired to come back to school for a master’s degree after hearing Dr. Tom Meixner speak at the 2015 Arizona Hydrological Symposium.  Her initial interest in water stems from her experiences and geography; her continued interest in water stems from not only a desire to have job security, but also to help her community and her country.  Victoria’s goal is to one day lead the Arizona Department of Water Resources and contribute to the solutions of future.