The following is the opinion and analysis of the writer:
Now’s the time to ask your candidates what they will do about Arizona’s water if they get elected.
The next Arizona legislature can’t make it rain in the desert, can’t make it snow in the Colorado Rockies, and can’t make the Upper Basin states deliver more water to the Central Arizona Project. But the legislature can get to work on solving Arizona’s water problems. Issues need to be discussed, bills need to be heard, and solutions need to be found. Water is vital to our well-being and our economy.
Sure, water-saving begins at home and on the farm. But individual, short-term, voluntary efforts won’t be enough. Banning data centers won’t be enough either.
There’s no single, simple solution to the water challenges faced by the state. There are lots of small solutions that could add up. Many solutions will require legislative action.
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Will the candidates defend and strengthen Arizona’s groundwater law? Will they prevent grandfathered water rights from continuing to drain our active management areas? Will the candidates keep developers from nibbling away at the 100-year assured water supply rule?
Will the candidates finally protect rural groundwater supplies from unlimited pumping? Will the candidates enact effective legislation that helps local communities protect the groundwater resources that support their way of life?
Will the candidates support restoring the budget of the Water Infrastructure Finance Authority (WIFA), the state agency charged with finding long-term solutions? The agency became a target for budget-cutters because of a failed backroom deal for de-sal water from the Gulf of California. WIFA is now back in action.
Will the candidates empower WIFA to put more emphasis on urban water purification and reuse? Effluent is a local water resource that has as much value as water from out-of-state sources.
Will the candidates support tax credits for homeowners to install water-harvesting devices? As much as half of the water delivered to our homes is used outdoors. Put rainwater, not tap water, to work in our gardens.
Will the candidates work with the Central Arizona Project to make deals with farmers along the Colorado River? Farmers could be paid to fallow their crops during the hottest months and deliver the water saved to the CAP. Such deals are working great for both farmers and urban water users in California.
Will the candidates work with the Central Arizona Project to invest in water-saving technology on Yuma-area farms? The water saved would then be delivered to the CAP. Protecting both food security and economic development is an obvious win-win.
Will the candidates protect our remaining rivers and streams from excessive groundwater pumping? Our natural areas need water to support the wildlife and landscapes that we all treasure.
If Arizona cities and the state don’t come up with water-saving solutions, we may face draconian measures similar to those imposed in Las Vegas: limits on the size of new swimming pools, limits on golf courses, bans on fountains, bans on non-functional turf and bans on new swamp-coolers.
Water should not be a partisan issue. Where do your legislative candidates stand on these questions? We need water-smart Republicans and water-smart Democrats who will work together.
We can’t drink money when the well runs dry.
Vote water-smart.
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Karl Flessa is Emeritus Professor of Geosciences at The University of Arizona. The views expressed here are his own.
