Water
Planetizen’s Top Posts of 2025
The most-read articles on Planetizen in 2025.
Deadline Nears for Colorado River Water Sharing Agreement
Water officials from the seven Colorado River Basin states are still at odds over how to manage dwindling water resources as current regulations are set to expire in February.
Winter Road Salt is Making Waterways Toxic to Wildlife
Salt used to clear streets is accumulating in local creeks and rivers and seeping into groundwater, contaminating fresh water supplies.
Shrinking Colorado River Aquifers Make up 65% of the Basin’s Water Loss
Satellite data reveals that the Colorado River’s groundwater has decreased dramatically since the start of the century.
Arizona Explores Desalination and “Water Swap” with Mexico as Dwindling Water Supply Grows Dire
As the Colorado River shrinks and the river states remain deadlocked in negotiation, Arizona is reaching for ever more drastic strategies to ensure its future water supply.
Texas Voters Approve $1 Billion per Year for 'Critical' Water Infrastructure
A new $20 billion fund will shore up the state’s water infrastructure.
Proposed EPA Rule Change Would Exclude Millions of Acres of Wetlands and Waterways From Federal Protection
A proposed change to the Waters of the United States Rule would narrow the definition of protected waterways.
Arizona Plans ‘Game-Changing’ Water System Overhaul
A planned interconnection facility will allow water to flow both ways between the Central Arizona Project and the Salt River Project.
October Must-Reads: Top 10 Articles From Last Month
Arizona’s future needs sustainable growth, and part of the answer may lie in an experiment from its past.
Arizona Overrides Moratorium Imposed due to Water Crisis, Approves up to 60K New Homes
A newly created legal process allows development to proceed if builders agree to bring in renewable water sources and reduce their groundwater use by 25%.
Nearly Half a Million New Arizona Homes Halted Due to Water Crisis
The Arizona Department of Water Resources has put a moratorium on new water supply permits, making the future of planned residential developments uncertain.
Corpus Christi Faces Uncertain Water Future as City Cancels Desalination Plan
The Texas refinery town is grappling with an impending water shortage after a seven-year drought, but a dramatic increase in the projected cost of a desalination plant prompted the city to look for other ways to bring in additional water.
84% of Chicago's Pipes Contain Lead — and They're Not Equally Distributed
The city’s Black and Latino communities are most impacted, but the issue is widespread across the city’s water distribution network.
A 'Grim Diagnosis': Houston's Suburbs are Running out of Water
Rapidly growing cities are struggling to build out water infrastructure to meet the needs of new residents.
Texas City to Test Waste Heat-to-Water Generation System
The technology harnesses waste heat to produce clean drinking water.
Data Centers Threaten Western Water Supplies, Power Grids
The rapidly growing need for water to cool data centers is endangering one of the West’s most essential resources.
NOAA Great Lakes Lab Loses Key Funding
Cuts at a lab that monitors water quality in the Great Lakes region could harm efforts to prevent dangerous algal blooms.
USGS Water Science Centers Targeted for Closure
If their work is suspended, states could lose a valuable resource for monitoring, understanding, and managing water resources.
Restoring Northern India’s Himalayan ‘Water Temples’
Thousands of centuries-old buildings protect the region’s natural springs and serve as community wells and gathering places.
How Protecting Kauaʻi’s Forests Safeguards Fresh Water
A University of Hawaiʻi study shows that protecting Kauaʻi’s native forests from invasive species significantly boosts groundwater recharge, making it a cost-effective strategy to secure fresh water and enhance climate resilience.
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
