What happens when places will actually run out of water? (Phoenix: moving, water bill)

[tumamoc]

Pecans are big business, too, and huge water-wasters. The lifetime value of a single pecan tree bearing fruit/nuts has to be pretty high, though, considering other factors such as the longevity, various uses for the shells, and ultimately the wood itself. I imagine it could be in the hundreds-of-thousands $$$.

[citizensadvocate]

Just curious does Arizona had the same media and politician induced panic reaction as in California. Interesting over there they appear to scold the normal folks for taking a shower, flushing the toilet, and brushing their teeth while continuing to hand out water hungry new development permits like candy and continuing to allow them to build megaprojects and or sprawl farther into undeveloped arid lands. Was it the same in Arizona as well? I haven't heard too much news regarding the Arizona drought compared with the California drought.

As for the agricultural industries CA allowed big corporate almond farms or similar to use unlimited water for export farming, yet they cut off water completely to many family farms and residences who live in those rural areas, not just no water for farming but no water for home use as well. Same with industrial water use. Much of the water in California were draining away to the Pacific anyways or diverted for environmental purposes. In fact they even talked about draining the reservoirs in the middle of the drought of the 2010s. Including Hetch Hatchy Dam which provides water to much of the Bay Area. The common folks use less than 15% of the water in CA, making us stink won't help a thing. Though cutting back on construction projects and Almond farming can. So is modernizing and restarting those desalination plants, which I heard pretty much stayed idle throughout the drought years.

[manchurainprez]

No, Arizona has no water problem, and no incoming water problem. Our water is not expensive.

Believe it or not the Phoenix metro lies at the confluence of multiple rivers and streams and has been home to agricultural civilization for thousands of years.

Southern California by comparison has few rivers and those rivers are small and seasonal. The strip of Mediterranean climate against the sea would have never been able to handle the type of massive population it has today without modern engineering projects bringing in water from Northern Cal and The Colorado river

[tijlover]

Originally Posted by JGMotorsport64

So why do we need to grow each of those water intensive crops here. They can be grown almost anywhere

In a recent article in The Economist magazine, due to climate change, farmers in northern Russia are enjoying up to 3 weeks of more growing season, as well as northern Alberta. Who know where this is going to end!!

If we were to allow the Israeli's to manage the water in the Southwest, where you need city approval just to put a bucket on your roof, you could add 10 million more people to the Southwest, perhaps even 20 million.

They would all but mandate drip irrigation everywhere.

As the saying goes, water will always arise to $$$!

Speaking of water rising to $$$, that NAWAPA project in British Columbia may yet come to fruition, creation of a 100 mile reservoir, sending water south all the way into Mexico. And let the Colorado river dry up!

[Valley Native]

Originally Posted by LibertyRutledge

No one wants to address reality; they just wanna encourage even more to move here without changing their own habits or expecting the newcomers to change theirs. Slow motion disaster. I hope they don’t use my dollars for the recovery efforts. When you’ve had decades of warning you don’t deserve public aid when all goes to hell.

Wouldn't you include the newcomers who keep moving here and worshiping the damn sunshine while year after year has seen below average precipitation across much of the state? 2018 was the exception, at least in & around the Phoenix area, only because one month (October) had 10 times the amount of normal rainfall ... and that was mainly due to 2 storms that dumped over 2 inches of rain in a short amount of time. The majority of water comes from spring runoff. This means that if the high country doesn't receive ample snowfall, no amount of monsoon thunderstorms or unusual rainfall during the off season will make much of a difference.

Originally Posted by Obadno

But despite people’s incorrect assumptions Arizona does not have water issues, our water usage has been basically flat for 25 years as most construction occurred on former farmland and agriculture uses way more water than houses/urban land.

I agree with you 100% on this point. There was a report from the city of Phoenix showing how water consumption has actually gone down in the past few decades, despite how much growth has occurred. This is largely because there are fewer citrus groves, cotton fields, and other agriculture that used to be dominant 30+ years ago, and is hardly in existence now (except in the outlying areas). Residences actually use less water then agriculture overall, even homes with lush green lawns & shade trees.

[Burning Madolf]

Originally Posted by tijlover

In a recent article in The Economist magazine, due to climate change, farmers in northern Russia are enjoying up to 3 weeks of more growing season, as well as northern Alberta. Who know where this is going to end!!

If we were to allow the Israeli's to manage the water in the Southwest, where you need city approval just to put a bucket on your roof, you could add 10 million more people to the Southwest, perhaps even 20 million.

They would all but mandate drip irrigation everywhere.

As the saying goes, water will always arise to $$$!

Speaking of water rising to $$$, that NAWAPA project in British Columbia may yet come to fruition, creation of a 100 mile reservoir, sending water south all the way into Mexico. And let the Colorado river dry up!

Just around the corner?

[DrDog]

Originally Posted by manchurainprez

No, Arizona has no water problem, and no incoming water problem. Our water is not expensive.

Believe it or not the Phoenix metro lies at the confluence of multiple rivers and streams and has been home to agricultural civilization for thousands of years

Which rivers would those be that actually have water flowing through them? Do these rivers provide enough water for any use other than filling Tempe town reservoir?

[JGMotorsport64]

Originally Posted by DrDog

Which rivers would those be that actually have water flowing through them? Do these rivers provide enough water for any use other than filling Tempe town reservoir?

They’re damned off into reservoirs, several large ones.

[Jnvlv247]

They just lowered our water bills here in my complex. Ancedotal I know but I thought it was kinda random but nice

[wase4711]

I pay less for water in Arizona, then I did while living in a suburb of Chicago, right next to the largest body of fresh water around, Lake Michigan..go figure!