Overhaul advised to ensure future supplies
By Ian James | The Republic
A set of water rules that has fueled rapid growth in Arizona’s suburbs is riddled with weaknesses, according to a new report by researchers at Arizona State University, who argue the system needs to be overhauled to protect homeowners from rising costs and to ensure sufficient water supplies for the future.
In a report released Thursday, Kathy Ferris and Sarah Porter of the Kyl Center for Water Policy focus on the role the Central Arizona Groundwater Replenishment District plays in enabling new development in parts of the state.
Since the 1990s, developers have been able to transform desert lands into subdivisions, selling lots that rely entirely on groundwater, while the district has been charged with subsequently obtaining surface water to replenish aquifers. The surface water is supposed to help offset groundwater pumping, which is a chief goal of the state’s groundwater laws. The district has used Colorado River water, sending it pouring into basins in sites along the Central Arizona Project Canal, where it has soaked into the soil to recharge the groundwater.
(Print/Digital Edition, article front page)
