Buckeye’s projected water shortage is not as dire as you think

Opinion: A recently released groundwater model has a lot of people thinking Buckeye is nearly out of water and can’t sustain its growth. Far from it.

By Eric Orsborn || The Arizona Republic

Recent headlines may lead you to believe that Arizona is out of water, or a bad water steward and that all development is coming to a halt.

I’ve heard these concerns from my neighbors down the street to friends that live halfway across the country.

Let me start by saying that Buckeye’s water future is secure and it is not in danger.

Buckeye has been working for years to diversify our water portfolio.

We currently have enough water resources to sustain our existing customers and the projected growth that already have certificates of assured water supply.

Buckeye bought water, adopted strict codes

The Hassayampa Sub-Basin is the part of the aquifer from which Buckeye gets most of its water.

A groundwater model was released earlier this year, stating this aquifer would be about 15% short on water demand over the next 100 years, if all projected development was completely built out – without making any changes to water management strategies.

Buckeye welcomed the release of this model. It gave us a starting point to start strategizing for the future.

After groundwater report:What does a growing Buckeye do next?

Since its release, Buckeye staff have had very productive meetings with the Arizona Department of Water Resources and the Kyl Center for Water Policy. Together, we are working toward incorporating Buckeye’s groundwater management practices into the model and bringing it up to date.

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