The future of Arizona poses two dueling scenarios for the state’s water resources.
On one end, Native American communities like the Gila River Indian Community will hold 2 million acre-feet of secure water rights and will have built impressive desert economies and elevated to the top tier of policy influence and economic wealth.
Small arid communities like Rio Verde Foothills, on the other hand, will run out of water. Arizona’s rural regions will be only a scorched landscape of expanding desert and empty towns, where farmers and residents once lived in more hospitable conditions.
Responses to the state’s burgeoning water crisis by state leaders have been methodical but by no means urgent.
There’s a reason for that. Regulatory changes in water policy and practice are some of the steepest cliffs in Arizona’s political landscape. Any proposal judged by lawmakers to challenge property rights, raise costs, and impede growth is dead on arrival in the Legislature. Such proposals generate powerful winds of opposition in the executive offices of home builders, chambers of commerce, and every other economic development agency.
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Two countries, eight states, five lakes — and 84 percent of the continent’s surface fresh water. As water crises beset North America, all eyes are on the Great Lakes and the leaders, systems, and rules that govern them. Let Circle of Blue reporters guide you through the biggest international, state, and local policy news stories facing the Great Lakes region today. Sign up today for Fresh: A Great Lakes Policy Briefing, straight to your inbox, every other Tuesday.
In Thailand, the government cancelled a dredging and blasting project that would have straightened a rocky stretch of the Mekong River to accommodate large cargo ships. According to VOA News, environmental advocates and researchers are hailing the decision as a rare victory for a Mekong ecosystem that is under constant threat of development.
In the United States, landmark legislation passed a half century ago to protect the country’s rivers has failed to achieve its ambitious goals. A report from the research group the Environmental Integrity Project found that half of U.S. river and stream miles are classified as “impaired.”
The primary polluters of rivers are industry, agriculture, and urban development. A recent incident in Illinois illustrates those threats. Last week, the Illinois attorney general filed a lawsuit against Marathon Pipeline LLC for a pipeline leak that happened earlier this month.
After 70 years of desert development, Arizona is at the pinnacle of its appeal and economic influence. Rising temperatures and severe water scarcity now raise a challenge that is more urgent and relevant than it’s ever been. Extreme heat and drought are pushing the state to water supply peril.
Read Circle of Blue's three-part series on Arizona's water reckoning.
