Back to Spring 2010 Newsletter
by John Kondziolka, Department of Civil Engineering, Arizona State University
Cash Cab video bonus: “drought” is (a) a prolonged period of time during which Mother Nature malevolently decides to withhold from mankind the same amount of liquid life she used to bestow, (b) a naturally occurring phenomenon, or (c) a problem. Good news! No matter which answer you chose, you are correct.
Cash Cab is a television program in which a few lucky people who happen to hail the right cab get to win money by answering trivia questions. They continue winning money until they answer incorrectly or arrive at their destination, after which they leave the cash cab with their winnings.
Arizona’s water addiction follows a similar model. Some lucky people managed to settle in Arizona in the right years when there was an unusually high amount of water. We, as a population, continued using this unnaturally high amount of water and now we’re starting to run out. But we refuse to leave our Cash Cab; we want to keep living the high life!
Some advance measures have been taken. Janet Napolitano’s Drought Task Force assembled the Operational Drought Plan for 2006, establishing the Arizona Department of Water Resources as the head of a “Monitoring Technical Committee” (in addition to two other committees) intended to advise the governor’s office on drought conditions and recommended action. As a part of this implementation the ADWR created AZ DroughtWatch, an interactive online tool intended to incorporate feedback from water users around the state. This qualitative data could then be used to make decisions about mitigation and adaptation measures. In addition to this qualitative data quantitative information could be gained from partner agencies explicitly defined as members of the Monitoring Technical Committee.
AZ DroughtWatch is not being used, and information is variable from the Monitoring Technical Committee. In an attempt to fix these issues after observing their inability to address drought problems after three years of operation, ADWR partnered during the fall semester with Arizona State University students who were to conduct a public policy and program analysis on the Operational Drought Plan and on the AZ DroughtWatch program. Recommended solutions included better environmental and drought education for both the school system and communities, explicit requirements for members of the committees outlined in the Operational Drought Plan, and better web site design. All of these will help get the ball rolling on Arizona’s drought problem.
The more fundamental issue, however, is that we are currently using water unsustainably when we have more than we normally should. As the effects of climate change begin to be felt, the drought problem will be exacerbated by decreased precipitation and increased solar radiative forcing. To be plain, there is going to be less water available. If we, as a population, already face drought issues, how will we fare when our water supply is cut further? For that matter, we need a new name for a situation when our water supply is decreased. We already use “drought” to describe the current state of affairs. Perhaps “stop wasting water” can describe the new issues that we will face.
When “stop wasting water” time hits, action will need to be taken by individuals. The national government will not build any more ridiculously large canal projects (like the Central Arizona Project) to give us water from other sources. Cloud seeding is not going to become a science in the foreseeable future. Do not count on desalinization. No more water is coming.
The only solution, if our supply is diminishing, is for less water to be used. Voluntary conservation by large water users would solve the water shortage: solve, as in eliminate the problem. Conservation doesn’t need to be showering only every third day, but a little xeriscaping (from the state and cities, too) would contribute, as would some low flush toilets and enforcement of laws against draining swimming pools only to refill with cleaner water. Many, many conservation efforts can be found implemented in other cities that do not have their water so easily provided, that have already hit the wall Arizona races towards. We can learn from them, and we should.
While voluntary measures are preferred, money talks. Using some basic economics, when supply decreases the price should increase. However, most cities buy their water wholesale from a provider, whose rates are set by the Arizona Corporation Commission. Many cities don’t feel like increasing water rates, since raising prices bodes ill come election day. Besides, water is a necessity and must be provided to everyone. Tiered pricing incorporates these concerns by charging a minimal price for an amount of water deemed necessary for a person, and then applies additional rates for high users. This generally results in reduced water use from high users while bringing in some increased revenue to apply more water conservation efforts for low income families. Tiered pricing needs to be implemented by more Arizona counties and cities.
Arizona has been living on borrowed water for many years. While growth is an important part of the economy, no more water is coming and climate change will decrease what inputs we have. Our only solution is water conservation, whether voluntary or through tiered pricing. It’s going to be difficult to leave the Cash Cab and our free ride, but with foresight we will avoid going the way of the Anasazi.