Where will Arizona get its water when the Colorado River dries up? (Phoenix: living in, to move)

[thrillobyte]

In Era of Drought, Phoenix Prepares for a Future Without Colorado River Water


Title of the article says it all. I have relatives living in Phoenix. I'm worried about them. They're too old to move. Every year the Colorado River looks smaller. What is Arizona going to do for water? Do they have any other sources that can adequately provide water for 7 million inhabitants?


https://e360.yale.edu/features/how-p...do-river-water

[KurtAZ]

Colorado River only accounts for 30% of our water. Tons of threads on this. There is a "Search" function on this forum.

The better question is what is SoCal going to do when the Colorado River dries up?

[thrillobyte]

Originally Posted by KurtAZ

Colorado River only accounts for 30% of our water. Tons of threads on this. There is a "Search" function on this forum.

The better question is what is SoCal going to do when the Colorado River dries up?

Where do you get the other 70%

[KurtAZ]

Originally Posted by thrillobyte

Where do you get the other 70%

Ground water, Salt River, water banking...like the article says, the biggest problem if the Colorado dries up is building infrastructure to get water to the places that CAP currently services.

Las Vegas and SoCal will take bigger hits than AZ...but you know...it makes it more shocking to make the fastest growing metro look like we are all going to dry up and blow away in a dust storm.

I am guessing you didn't read your own article: The Salt River is the single biggest source of water for metro Phoenix, and provides about 60 percent of its needs. It is a large desert river, some 200 miles long, that begins at the confluence of the snow-fed White and Black rivers, is joined by a series of perennial, spring-fed streams, and then meets the Verde River east of Phoenix.

[dontbelievehim]

Originally Posted by KurtAZ

Ground water, Salt River, water banking...like the article says, the biggest problem if the Colorado dries up is building infrastructure to get water to the places that CAP currently services.

Las Vegas and SoCal will take bigger hits than AZ...but you know...it makes it more shocking to make the fastest growing metro look like we are all going to dry up and blow away in a dust storm.

I am guessing you didn't read your own article: The Salt River is the single biggest source of water for metro Phoenix, and provides about 60 percent of its needs. It is a large desert river, some 200 miles long, that begins at the confluence of the snow-fed White and Black rivers, is joined by a series of perennial, spring-fed streams, and then meets the Verde River east of Phoenix.

30% isn't peanuts, and that loss alone will limit growth. Not to mention the presence of increased heat/humidity to make life more miserable. I could also see this taking away some of Phoenixs best amenities away - golf courses.

Socal will just xeroscape everything and start desal, they'll be better off than you realize.

Edit: a reduction in AG in ca would likely mean more water gets pushed from up North to socal.

[Prickly Pear]

In the summer we use well water, and the winter we rely on surface water. Most of our surface water comes from SRP or the canals about town. The CAP, which bypasses most of the valley, is not a major supporter.

The CAP however is important because the SRP sources are also in a vulnerable position as they depend on snowpack from Flagstaff and Payson and the like. Many of the SRP canals come from the Agua Fria (west valley canal) or Verde (east valley canals) rivers that are snowpack fed and are indeed vulnerable.

If we use too much groundwater we will start sinking. Ask Tucson about that, that’s what happened to them before the CAP. They *lost* elevation. Crazy right?

[KurtAZ]

Like I said earlier...plenty of threads and "water experts" on this board. This has been debated to death. The article that was supplied by the OP seems to be ignoring the words of the very person they were writing about...Kathryn Sorenson...who is ACTUALLY a water expert.

[thrillobyte]

Originally Posted by Prickly Pear

In the summer we use well water, and the winter we rely on surface water. Most of our surface water comes from SRP or the canals about town. The CAP, which bypasses most of the valley, is not a major supporter.

The CAP however is important because the SRP sources are also in a vulnerable position as they depend on snowpack from Flagstaff and Payson and the like. Many of the SRP canals come from the Agua Fria (west valley canal) or Verde (east valley canals) rivers that are snowpack fed and are indeed vulnerable.

If we use too much groundwater we will start sinking. Ask Tucson about that, that’s what happened to them before the CAP. They *lost* elevation. Crazy right?

Not when you thonk about it. An underground reservoir becomes an underground cave when the water is drained.

[marinezac]

Salt River, Verde River, Aqua Fria River, Gila river

[Burning Madolf]

Originally Posted by thrillobyte

In Era of Drought, Phoenix Prepares for a Future Without Colorado River Water


Title of the article says it all. I have relatives living in Phoenix. I'm worried about them. They're too old to move. Every year the Colorado River looks smaller. What is Arizona going to do for water? Do they have any other sources that can adequately provide water for 7 million inhabitants?


https://e360.yale.edu/features/how-p...do-river-water

You should definitely help your relatives get out.

It's and existential crisis.
We're all doomed.
Hurry.