Arizona must stop pretending growth and water scarcity are separate conversations. Every new subdivision and resident needs the one thing the desert cannot manufacture: water.
The growth machine says, “Arizona is not running out of water. We are running out of cheap water.”
Rio Verde Foothills proved otherwise. When Scottsdale cut access to its standpipe during worsening Colorado River shortages, a distant water crisis reached neighborhood driveways.
The lesson should be obvious: water planning must come before growth planning.
Phoenix deserves credit for conservation, but efficiency does not repeal arithmetic. More homes still require more water.
Agriculture deserves scrutiny, especially thirsty crops grown for export. But water insecurity should not become food insecurity.
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Arizona keeps asking, “How much water can we find for the growth we want?”
We should ask, “How much growth can the water actually support?”
The river delivers what nature provides.
It gets the last word.
rusty childress
Foothills
Disclaimer: As submitted to the Arizona Daily Star.
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