What’s Up With Arizona’s Water?

Water. We all know it’s a precious resource, especially in our area. Yet some Arizona residents don’t really know much about our H2O. For example, how do we even have water in the desert? How much water is there in Arizona? And who is using it up?

Central Arizona’s water supply comes from three main sources: the Colorado River (of which Arizona has the right to use 2.8 million acre feet of water annually), which accounts for 36 percent of our state’s water supply; surface water from the Salt, Verde, Gila, and Agua Fria river systems, making up 18 percent of our supply; and groundwater, which is water beneath the earth’s surface, which contributes 41 percent. The remaining five percent comes from reclaimed water, water that is treated for purposes such as golf courses and agriculture.

As we’ve all seen, the Colorado River is at record-low volumes. In fact, beginning in January, Arizona will have to reduce what it takes from the Colorado River by about 22 percent. Luckily for us, we get much of our water from other sources. Other Western states, however, are far more reliant on the Colorado River. Nevada, for example, is 100 percent reliant on the Colorado, and California is 60 percent reliant. Arizona can lean on surface water, which is water from the state’s lakes, rivers, and streams that is stored in reservoirs. When that water is low, our state depends on groundwater, water that has been in natural reservoirs called aquifers for millions of years. Experts, however, caution against tapping into these precious resources too frequently as they may already be overburdened and are a finite resource.

But exactly who is using most of our state’s water? Turns out, a whopping 72 percent of water consumed in Arizona in 2019 was for agricultural use, compared to 22 percent used for municipal purposes, and 6 percent used in industrial settings. And although the population has ballooned in the region, state officials say that due to conservation and planning efforts, almost three trillion gallons of water have been stored underground for future use. This water, they say, can serve the city of Phoenix alone for the next 30 years. But what happens after that? Some experts fear once these underground sources are tapped the problem could get worse as climate change continues to impact the planet. The good news? Water use is actually down overall as our society realizes the importance of water conservation.