Phoenix introduces new roadmap as potential water shortages loom

The Brief​

• • Nearly 40% of Phoenix’s water relies on the Colorado River, prompting city leaders to present a new conservation roadmap.
  • The city is planning backup strategies and partnerships to maintain the water supply as federal cuts loom.
  • Stalled negotiations among seven states have created uncertainty about exactly how severe future water shortages will be.

PHOENIX - As federal cuts to the Colorado River are looming, Phoenix water leaders brought a plan to the City Council on April 28 for the future of the water supply.

What we know:

"The Colorado River is currently experiencing the lowest flows that it’s seen in over 1000 years," Max Wilson, the Water Resources Management Advisor said. "And this is brought much of the infrastructure that the federal government manages on the Colorado River really to the brink of not being able to do its job."

Nearly 40% of Phoenix’s drinking water relies on the Colorado River, and city leaders are moving to shore up the supply, including a new partnership known as the Secure Water Arizona Program (SWAP), a proactive new roadmap.

"SWAP is a project that will allow folks throughout the state to be able to work together on solving water problems," Wilson said. "At the end of the day, what it will do is give Arizona the tools that it needs to ensure that there are no wet water emergencies in central Arizona."

Phoenix introduces new roadmap as potential water shortages loom

Nearly 40% of Phoenix’s water relies on the Colorado River, prompting city leaders to present a new conservation roadmap.

www.fox10phoenix.com

 

[1LoverofGod]

The Brief​

• • Nearly 40% of Phoenix’s water relies on the Colorado River, prompting city leaders to present a new conservation roadmap.
  • The city is planning backup strategies and partnerships to maintain the water supply as federal cuts loom.
  • Stalled negotiations among seven states have created uncertainty about exactly how severe future water shortages will be.

PHOENIX - As federal cuts to the Colorado River are looming, Phoenix water leaders brought a plan to the City Council on April 28 for the future of the water supply.

What we know:

"The Colorado River is currently experiencing the lowest flows that it’s seen in over 1000 years," Max Wilson, the Water Resources Management Advisor said. "And this is brought much of the infrastructure that the federal government manages on the Colorado River really to the brink of not being able to do its job."

Nearly 40% of Phoenix’s drinking water relies on the Colorado River, and city leaders are moving to shore up the supply, including a new partnership known as the Secure Water Arizona Program (SWAP), a proactive new roadmap.

"SWAP is a project that will allow folks throughout the state to be able to work together on solving water problems," Wilson said. "At the end of the day, what it will do is give Arizona the tools that it needs to ensure that there are no wet water emergencies in central Arizona."

Phoenix introduces new roadmap as potential water shortages loom

Nearly 40% of Phoenix’s water relies on the Colorado River, prompting city leaders to present a new conservation roadmap.

www.fox10phoenix.com

 

[Tall Timbers]

If there isn't enough water, all you can do is use less. Phoenix has been in a precarious position with regards to water since it's population has grown too large for their location.

 

[Ghoti Ichthus]

If there isn't enough water, all you can do is use less. Phoenix has been in a precarious position with regards to water since it's population has grown too large for their location.

Or leave, buy water from elsewhere, or steal it.

States in the West have been eying the Great Lakes and lakes in Minnesota. There have been threats of demanding Federal action, establishing corporations to "provide water" (buy, steal, or suck up from their property wherever they get established), building pipelines, and sending convoys to take.

This could get really, really ugly. The headwaters of the Mississippi River, the western origin of the St Lawrence River/Great Lakes/St Lawrence Seaway, and the Red River, which flows north via the Nelson River through Canada into Hudson Bay, are located in Minnesota. If the water table and surface water here are gone/disrupted, the consequences will be severe and affect much of the North American continent. The same concerns exist with regard to data centers eyeing the water here.

 

[TCC]

I'm thinking of moving there, so thanks for the beat on the ground.

 

[mattfivefour]

I'm thinking of moving there, so thanks for the beat on the ground.

I lived there in 2013 and loved it. And so do many other arrivals there. Its high heat and low humidity attracts many to it. However being located in a desert with few water sources has created a (to me) ultimately unsolvable problem. As TT said upthread, it was never designed to support the number of people who now live there. (It currently ranks 5th in the nation for population with a metro area of more than 5 million residents.)

 

[Amethyst]

Is Arizona itself overpopulated or just Phoenix?

 

[mattfivefour]

Is Arizona itself overpopulated or just Phoenix?

I can't answer that due to a lack of knowledge. But Phoenix certainly is.

 

[Tall Timbers]

I'm thinking of moving there, so thanks for the beat on the ground.

I like the Phoenix area too. It would be a nice place to live, for me anyway. but it's become a sprawling city in the middle of desert... nearly no water to speak of, and I imagine they've expanded even more since I was last there. They've got super good Taquerias, better than anything I've found in Texas. They've got nice trails for running/walking... it would be a great place for me.

 

[mattfivefour]

They've got super good Taquerias, better than anything I've found in Texas. They've got nice trails for running/walking.

That's a fact! Best Sonoran food I've ever eaten. The carne asada, wheat flour tortillas, and green chili sauces are superb. My mouth is watering just thinking of them!

 

[TCC]

That's a fact! Best Sonoran food I've ever eaten. The carne asada, wheat flour tortillas, and green chili sauces are superb. My mouth is watering just thinking of them!

Wow i had no idea. I love spicey Mexican food.