May 26, 2017
Summer Wave,
vol.
5,
no.
1,
Water Resources Research Center,
Tucson, AZ,
May 26, 2017
On May 19, 2017, a featured segment on Fox Business Network's, The Property Man, addressed the impending global water crisis. Ted Cooke, General Manager of the Central Arizona Project, Water Law Attorney Robert D. Anderson of Fennemore Craig, and WRRC Director Sharon B. Megdal joined host Bob Massi to discuss impacts that water will have on property, life, and economics here in Arizona.
"We were pumping groundwater at an alarming rate", said Ted Cooke. The question became is Arizona going to run out of water or are we going to look at other alternatives? In the 1970s and 1980s, a 336-mile canal was constructed to carry water from the Colorado River to communities in Phoenix and Tucson. The Central Arizona Project (CAP) cost 3 million dollars to build and the return on investment over the last 25 years has been huge. From 1985 to 2010, CAP has generated a trillion dollars of value for the State of Arizona.
Sharon Megdal reported that some of the water from the Colorado River has been stored underground in aquifer recharge facilities for future use. Another way Arizonians have adapted, according to Dr. Megdal, is by repurposing their grey water to use for landscaping around their homes. She was confident that we will be able to support our lifestyle and economic vitality by continuing to be mindful of efficient water uses.