The Department provides students with a variety of programs in environmental science, soil science, water quality and soil-plant-nutrient-water relationships. The department's scope is to provide (1) training in the area of water quality to the coming generation of scientists and decision-makers; (2) relevant and innovative information to aid in management and decision-making of our increasingly stressed water supplies; and (3) technical expertise for addressing water quality issues in both rural (agriculture) and urban centers. Water quality will continue to be a primary focal area for training, research, and service/extension/outreach activities of the department.

The current research interests of the department's faculty can be broadly organized into three areas:

• soil, plant, atmosphere systems, with emphasis on remote sensing, soil-water-plant relations, and soil genesis and morphology
• environmental science, with emphasis on contaminant transport and fate, waste management/reuse, and soil/groundwater remediation
• subsurface science, with emphasis on physical, chemical, and microbiological processes

The majority of SWES faculty work on interdisciplinary projects that are focused on or related to water quality. Thus, SWES plays a major role in water quality research and water management in the state of Arizona.