Maggie Laird opinion contributor
Opinion: It takes a lot of time and effort to know where water is coming from in Arizona and how it’s being used. AI can get us better information, and faster.
Arizona Republic
2023 started with a bang when Scottsdale cut off hauled water to Rio Verde Foothills, sending residents of the unincorporated community scrambling to get water.
Residents tried everything from driving an hour to fill their water tanks at higher fees, to investing in costly wells and water filtration systems, to collecting rainwater in buckets to fulfill their basic needs.
But as three-digit temperature days returned in mid-June, the Arizona Legislature passed and Gov. Katie Hobbs signed standpipe legislation creating a governmental entity with the power to enter into agreements to get water to the Foothills.
The Rio Verde Foothills situation is just one of the big Arizona water stories of 2023.
In water, ‘the enemy is the old way’
Earlier in June, Gov. Hobbs unveiled a model projection and study indicating that over 100 years, approximately 4% of the demand for groundwater in the Phoenix metropolitan area will not be met without further action.
In the wake of the unveiling, news reports explained that the state’s water agency will stop approving new home developments that rely solely on groundwater.
