Understanding the Push for Development in Water Stressed Phoenix, Arizona
Description
Located in the Sunbelt of the Southwestern United States, Phoenix Arizona finds itself in one of the hottest, driest places in the world. Thankfully, Phoenix has the Salt River, Gila River, Verde River, and a vast aquifer to meet the water demands of the municipal, industrial, and agricultural sectors. However, rampant groundwater pumping and over-allocation of these water supplies based on unprecedented, high flows of the Colorado River have created challenges for water managers to ensure adequate water supply for the future. Combined with the current 17-year drought and the warming and drying projections of climate change, the future of water availability in Phoenix will depend on the strength of water management laws, educating the public, developing a strong sense of community, and using development to manage population and support sustainability. As the prevalence of agriculture declines in and around Phoenix, a substantial amount of water is saved. Instead of storing this saved water, Phoenix is using it to support further development. Despite uncertainty regarding the abundant and continuous availability of Phoenix's water resources, development has hardly slowed and barely shifted directions to support sustainability. Phoenix was made to grow until it legally cannot expand anymore. In order to develop solutions, we must first understand the push for development in water-stressed Phoenix, Arizona.
Date Created
The date the item was original created (prior to any relationship with the ASU Digital Repositories.)
2017-05
Agent
- Author (aut): Vasquez, Brianna Nicole
- Thesis director: Heimsath, Arjun
- Committee member: Whipple, Kelin
- Contributor (ctb): School of Earth and Space Exploration
- Contributor (ctb): School of Art
- Contributor (ctb): School of Community Resources and Development
- Contributor (ctb): Barrett, The Honors College