Living in a desert, a water shortage is very impactful to the people of Arizona. Deserts are hot and arid, with low precipitation. With water scarce in Arizona, even during average years, droughts attack one of the most sensitive aspects of daily life in Arizona.
Politics haven’t made the situation any better. A series of agreements has tossed Arizona the brunt of the worst of the water allocation measures in southwest America. The federal government has declared a Tier 1 water shortage on the Colorado River, further decreasing how much water Arizona can use (“Officials Impose New Cuts to Colorado River Water Use in Arizona”). This means allocation from the Colorado River will go down by about 30% in total. Scottsdale’s water allocation went down by 5% this year (Schneider).
With over 50% of the water in Scottsdale being used residentially, and 70% of that water being used in yards, this will likely be the first thing that is cut (Schneider). For example, lawns have been banned in other desert communities so no water is used for watering them. As Scottsdale water provider Julie Schneider says, “Grass is one of the biggest water usages outdoors.” In Phoenix, single-family outdoor spaces take up 26% of their water, about 26 billion gallons of water every year (Interview with Water Scientist Dr. Max Wilson).
If we could harvest water from the atmosphere, that would give us another water source that can be used in the desert.
However, if we do nothing, the consequences can be dire. Water scientist Dr. Max Wilson says, “The dams are so close to empty that they are approaching deadpool. Water would be so low that it could not be moved.” This would cause the Central Arizona Project, a massive network of canals, to dry up. Drought is not just an Arizona problem. Other states reliant on the Colorado River, like California, are affected too.