Arizona has excelled at storing water in preparation for future droughts. The challenge now is how cities will access that water when they need it.
Arizona has taken advantage of its access to the Colorado River over the years to store more than 3.6 million acre-feet of water, making the state a national leader in saving up water for future dry spells. There's just one problem: how to get it out.
Some of the largest storage facilities in the state have no infrastructure to pump water to the cities they serve. As dry years and water shortages loom on the horizon, access to those reserves is becoming increasingly urgent. Tony Davis reports on the conundrum in the Arizona Daily Star, covering the practical and political questions facing the effort to create a new recovery plan by the end of this year.
Read the full story: Arizona's plan to withdraw years worth of 'banked' CAP water lagging
Arizona prepares to tap into emergency water supply as it braces for Colorado River cuts
The Salt River Project has been collecting nearly 4 million acre-feet of water since the mid-1990s.
The Nation’s Fastest Growing Town Needs More Water
Cheap water flows freely to the golf courses of St. George, Utah, but all the new residents mean it’s going to have to increase supply or reduce demand—or both.
Federal proposal calls for mandatory water cuts to Arizona, California and Nevada
The Bureau of Reclamation stepped in after states failed to come to an agreement over Colorado River water use reductions.
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
California plans to bury El Niño’s downpour
If the state plays its cards right, it may be able to store a billion acre-feet of El Niño’s water in aquifers.
Desperate measures: Advocates weigh draining Lake Powell to fill Colorado River
Draining the reservoir could reduce evaporation losses by a couple hundred thousand acre-feet.
California city breaks ground on transit connector
The project includes three mobility hubs and a pedestrian bridge.
After public outcry, Massachusetts city releases housing development tracker
Cambridge’s tracker currently shows 250 housing projects in various stages of development.
40 years after approval, Chicago breaks ground on new park
The park honors Jean Baptiste Point du Sable, the city’s first permanent non-native settler.
FREE Course: Walkable City 1: Why Walkability?
After describing his path towards focusing on walkability as the essence of good planning, Jeff Speck marches through his five principal reasons for making more walkable places.
Reinventing Malls: Planning Alchemy—Turning Gray Fields Into Gold
The course focuses on the opportunities and imperatives that shape reinvention of mall sites.
City of Rosemead
Rutgers University, Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy
One Hundred Miles
Hunter College, City University of New York (CUNY)
The Architects Foundation
University of Cincinnati Online
City of Cambridge
Montrose County
The Pocatello Development Authority