Arizona Restricting Phoenix Construction As Groundwater Dries Up—Gov. Assures ‘Water Future Is Secure’
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Topline

Arizona officials announced Thursday the state will restrict the development of future housing projects in the Phoenix region due to a diminishing supply of groundwater, signaling a potentially drastic change for an area that has been a hot spot of population growth for years but faces growing impacts from the effects of climate change.

Key Facts

Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs (D) revealed in a news conference Thursday that a study of the Phoenix metropolitan area’s groundwater conditions showed the region will experience an unmet demand for groundwater resources.

The state of Arizona will allow approved developments to continue but future communities or developers that have not yet received approval will be required to identify alternate water sources for new developments, proving to the state they can provide an assured 100-year water supply from a source other than groundwater, according to the Arizona Department of Water Resources.

Hobbs emphasized in a Twitter thread Thursday the move does not mean there’s a threat to the water supply for current residents, tweeting the state will tackle forthcoming water challenges “with integrity and transparency.”

The state water department attributed the groundwater constraints to a combination of groundwater overdraft, when more water is pumped from an aquifer than is recharged, and “continued reliance on groundwater resources.”

Key Background

Phoenix is located within Maricopa County, which was home to more than 60% of Arizona’s population in 2020 and relies on groundwater for most of its water supply. The county’s next largest water source is surface water, followed by reclaimed water. Last year, Maricopa led the U.S. in population growth with more than 56,000 residents moving to the county. Arizona has dealt with decreased water levels for years, with some rural areas facing the consequences of droughts and overuse of aquifers. The drought that has historically plagued the Southwest was, as of last year, considered to be the driest 22-year period of the past 1,200 years as of last year, according to the scientific journal Nature Climate Change. Arizona shares drought issues with California and Nevada, making up a group of states that have suffered from dwindling water sources and have implemented measures to combat the challenge. The three Southwest states recently agreed on a deal to save an additional 3 million acre-feet of water from the Colorado River, which serves 40 million people across multiple states. Phoenix was the fastest growing city in the U.S. from 2010 to 2020, when it tallied an 11.2% growth rate.

Big Number

More than 5 million. That is the number the Phoenix metropolitan area’s population passed between 2021 and 2022, according to census data.

Further Reading

Arizona announces limits on construction in Phoenix area as groundwater disappears (CNN)

Arizona Limits Construction Around Phoenix as Its Water Supply Dwindles (The New York Times)

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