An
interesting article by Shaun McKinnon (“Rural Areas Face Challenge to Find Next
Water Source”), in Monday’s Arizona Republic details how some
rural areas near the Colorado river are dealing not with the 100-year question
that plagues many urban centers—how to guarantee that over the next century
there will be enough water to supply the needs of their community—but with a
much more immediate issue: how to guarantee they will have enough water a year
from now.
McKinnon
aptly describes rural Arizona’s water supply as “an erratic patchwork of wells,
springs, and season streams and lakes—a water supply that fails occasionally
because of overuse, and carries few promises about its long-term
sustainability.” And while some of Arizona’s problems are unique to its desert
landscape and proximity to the Colorado River, in many ways, it represents the
concerns and issues faced by small towns and unincorporated hamlets throughout
the country.
Some
of Arizona’s smaller cities are planning with an eye towards meeting future, as
well as immediate, demands. In Flagstaff for example, the city has decided to
put large infrastructure projects on hold—including a plan to build a pipeline
to import water from a source located 40 miles away—in order to first determine
how its water resources can be managed and sustained for the long haul. The city
has also implemented strict outdoor water restrictions and now gets 20% of its
water from recycled sources.
But
without the constraints imposed on urban development (which is required by state
law to guarantee a 100-year water supply), many communities are still surviving
hand over fist, and hoping that salvation will come in the form of an agreement
with local tribes (who currently control vast reserves of water from the
Colorado and its tributaries) or a federally funded
pipeline.
Unfortunately, any solution
outside of demand reduction comes with a huge price tag. And money is not the only obstacle; any
diversion is guaranteed to run headlong into riparian rights and environmental
litigation.
Click here to read the entire Arizona Republic article.