Governor Doug Ducey recently announced a new water initiative for Arizona. It’s designed to address the possibility of future shortages for the state. Arizona Public Radio’s Justin Regan reports.
The plan will create a state-wide task force appointed by the governor to study conservation methods. It will also examine new water sources, like desalinating the state’s brackish groundwater, and importing treated ocean water from California or Mexico.
The initiative breaks the state into 22 planning areas that are grouped by shared water interests.
“We will reach out to those areas and identify the stake holders. And start working with them on what they want their future to be. And if so, what water supplies do they need to make that happen,” says Tom Buschatzke, the director of the Arizona Department of Water Resources.
Gary Beverly with the Sierra Club says he likes the initiative idea, but hopes environmentalists will be included on state and local water commissions.
“Any changes in water laws need to include all the stake holders. And the environment is a big one,” says Beverly.
Even though drought persists in the Southwest, Arizona has not implemented water restrictions like those in neighboring California. That state has mandated a 25% reduction of the water use in towns and cities. However, Ducey’s plan is based on a 2014 report that predicts water demand in Arizona will outpace current supply over the next century.
