Local opinion: Arizona’s Water Crisis: Urgent realities and possible solutions

A Critical Warning

The Arizona Daily Star and reporter Tony Davis deserve recognition for their in-depth coverage in the March 29 article, “State’s Water Reckoning ...” This piece delivers a sobering message about the existential threat facing Arizona’s future. The challenge is not a distant possibility — it’s here and now.

Current Conditions: Water Shortages and Depletion

The 2026 Upper Colorado Basin snowpack is the lowest in the past decade and ranks as the third worst since 1940. The anticipated spring runoff will fall far below projections, while Lake Powell and Lake Mead are already severely depleted. Significant reductions to our Central Arizona Project (CAP) water allotment are imminent, and addressing the resulting deficit will require immediate, difficult and costly measures. The following are potential strategies to help address the crisis.

Agricultural Water Use: Rethinking Priorities

Approximately 70% of the state’s water is used for agriculture, primarily to grow cotton, vegetables, and forage crops like alfalfa for livestock. These are thirsty crops — for example, a cotton crop can require 40 to 60 inches of water. With over 100,000 acres of cotton cultivated statewide, the water use is enormous. This raises a fundamental question: Is any kind of farming in the desert the best use of our very limited water resources?

Industrial Expansion: Choosing Wisely

Arizona’s economic development planners have been effective in attracting new industries, but more thought is needed regarding the types of businesses invited. Chip fabrication plants and data centers, for example, are heavy water users and are not the best choice for a region facing severe water scarcity.

Population Growth: Challenging Assumptions

The prevailing assumption that continual growth is beneficial for Arizona requires serious reconsideration. While home builders may disagree, the state does not have enough water to meet the needs of its current population, let alone to sustain growth at the present rate.

Water Pricing: Reflecting Scarcity

Currently, water is often sold merely for the cost of delivery. Amid this crisis, water’s real value should be determined by its scarcity and priced accordingly. All users should pay the same rate for water, plus delivery charges.

Water Rights and Tribal Partnerships

Indian tribes along the Colorado River and near Phoenix and Tucson hold senior rights to substantial water supplies. If the price is right, tribes might be willing to shift water from agricultural uses and instead sell it to Arizona’s urban areas for residential and industrial purposes.

Protecting Local Aquifers

Isolated valleys across the state have been developed by foreign interests for the production and export of alfalfa. This practice must end. These aquifers represent Arizona’s last reserves and are urgently needed for local drinking water.

Regulations and Conservation

Voluntary conservation efforts have been quite successful throughout the Southwest, but it’s time for incentives and enforceable regulations to govern water usage. For example, there are more than 40 golf courses in Tucson. Although most golf courses are irrigated with reclaimed water, that water is still a finite resource and an important part of the problem’s solution.

Tiered Pricing and Everyday Conservation

Tucson Water’s tiered pricing system is an effective approach, but the structure could further incentivize conservation by making smaller amounts of water less expensive and larger amounts more costly. For example, an uncovered 16' x 36' pool in Tucson can lose up to six feet of water per year — over 25,000 gallons — to evaporation.

Reclaimed Water: A Necessary Option

Reclaimed potable water, sometimes called “toilet to tap,” is expensive and may be unappealing, but it remains one of the best options for augmenting the state’s potable water supply. The astronauts seem to thrive on it.

Tax Policy: Incentivizing Conservation

To both encourage home ownership and discourage excessive water use, a more enlightened tax policy would replace property taxes with a water tax.

The Need for Immediate Action

No single solution will resolve Arizona’s water crisis, but a combination of these and other measures could transform the state’s outlook from grim to hopeful. More delays are not an option. Public support for the necessary political and economic changes is essential.