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What's New
Due to Arizona’s rapidly increasing population, existing water supplies may become insufficient to meet the demands of people, farms, and our environment. According to the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, Arizona faces a potential water supply crisis by 2025, and in over 80 percent of Arizona, developers can build subdivisions with hundreds of thousands of houses, even if the state declares the region’s water supply to be inadequate.
To do nothing is sure to invite future shortages and put unneeded strain on our water systems and our environment. Our decision makers must act now to ensure our water needs can stand up to Arizona’s current and future growth.
How You Can Help
Write a letter to the editor supporting efforts to protect our water supply
A Brief Summary
Due to Arizona’s rapidly increasing population, existing water supplies may become insufficient to meet the demands of people, farms, and our environment. According to the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, Arizona faces a potential water supply crisis by 2025, and in over 80 percent of Arizona, developers can build subdivisions with hundreds of thousands of houses, even if the state declares the region’s water supply to be inadequate.
Arizona’s population is on track to double by 2030. Exploding development in areas where there are few protections and little water—such as the 200,000 homes planned for bedroom communities of Las Vegas—threatens to overwhelm Arizona’s water resources.
Even municipalities in Arizona that have conserved water, such as Phoenix and Tucson, could lose financial and water resources to bail out developments with inadequate water supplies.
Developers must stop building beyond the limits of a sustain¬able water supply. Our water should be conserved, used efficiently, and restored wherever it is taken out of our water supply.
To do nothing is sure to invite future shortages and put unneeded strain on our water systems and our environment. We can ensure that unsustainable, poorly planned growth doesn’t overwhelm Arizona’s clean water resources.
However, our decision makers must act now to ensure our water needs can stand up to Arizona’s current and future growth. More.
Resources
Troubled Waters: An Analysis Of Clean Water Act Compliance, July 2003-December 2004 3/23/06
Our Water, Our Future: Policy Options To Safeguard Water Resources In Arizona 3/8/06
An Analysis of the Water Budgets of Buckeye, Payson, and Prescott Valley – ThinkAZ
Arizona Drought Preparedness Plan – Governor’s Drought Task Force
Arizona Know Your Water – University of Arizona
Arizona’s Water Future: Challenges and Opportunities 85th Arizona Town Hall
Links
Sustainability of Semi-Arid Hydrology and Riparian Areas (SAHRA) at University of Arizona
The Sonoran Institute
ThinkAZ
Water Conservation Alliance of Southern Arizona
Arizona Department of Environmental Quality – Water Quality Division
Arizona Department of Water Resources
Arizona Municipal Water Users Association (AMWUA)
Central Arizona Groundwater Replenishment District
Central Arizona Project
