New communities are popping up across Arizona’s desert, evading water consumption restrictions and straining the state’s groundwater supplies.

Reporting for KJZZ, Katherine Davis-Young examines Arizona’s increasingly urgent water crisis. As Davis-Young explains, “Maricopa County’s population has more than doubled over the past 30 years, making it one of the fastest growing regions in the country. But meanwhile, Arizona’s water supply has become more and more depleted.”
The 1980 Groundwater Management Act called on the state to use underground aquifers primarily as a back-up and employ tactics to replenish groundwater supplies, but Kathleen Ferris, a researcher from Arizona State University, says that has not been happening.
“In most areas of central Arizona, a developer can’t build a new home without first proving that there’s enough water to last that property 100 years. But there are loopholes for larger lots in rural areas, like many homes in Rio Verde Foothills.” And while some cities like Phoenix have actually reduced their water use even as their population grew, rapid development happening in undeveloped desert areas largely counts on groundwater. “Back in 1980, legislators set a target to achieve safe yield of groundwater by 2025. So Ferris thinks the time for elected leaders to start answering questions about growth and sustainability is now.”
More Planetizen coverage of the water crisis in the American West:
FULL STORY: Arizona's water supply is shrinking, but its population is growing. Is it sustainable?

Trump Administration Could Effectively End Housing Voucher Program
Federal officials are eyeing major cuts to the Section 8 program that helps millions of low-income households pay rent.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

Ken Jennings Launches Transit Web Series
The Jeopardy champ wants you to ride public transit.

Driving Equity and Clean Air: California Invests in Greener School Transportation
California has awarded $500 million to fund 1,000 zero-emission school buses and chargers for educational agencies as part of its effort to reduce pollution, improve student health, and accelerate the transition to clean transportation.

Congress Moves to End Reconnecting Communities and Related Grants
The House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee moved to rescind funding for the Neighborhood Equity and Access program, which funds highway removals, freeway caps, transit projects, pedestrian infrastructure, and more.

From Throughway to Public Space: Taking Back the American Street
How the Covid-19 pandemic taught us new ways to reclaim city streets from cars.
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