Arizona's Need For Water

Imagine waking up one day, you go into the restroom to do your business and your toilet has no water to flush. There is no water to shower or even brush your teeth. That day is soon to arrive if we continue to ignore our pending water crisis.  Due to the poor water management of Arizona’s water, sources are being used up faster than they are being replenished by natural sources like rain fall and melting snow. One source for water, the Colorado River, has seen huge changes in water levels the past few years. According to the Arizona Republic and Associated Press (AP), the river provides nearly 40% of our state's water supply and this year alone we took an 18% cut from the river. To make matters worse, the Bureau of Reclamation announced yet another water cut of 3% in 2023 bringing the total to 21% of water we do not have access to anymore (Loew, Lillich, and AP). It is safe to say that the only thing increasing is the amount of water we cannot use while the amount we can continues to decrease. Arizona is facing a water crisis due to poor water management and climate change but if the state adopts new policies and residents help care for our resources there may be hope for us yet. 

Arizona’s largest source of water is groundwater and that may come as a surprise to most Arizonans. Groundwater is drilled from underground water banks. Limits of how much water can be pumped out are non-existent.  The management of our resources has not been the best over the years. Our water is sold to foriegn countries that farm in our state and buy the water they use for their crops for less than the actual price of the water's worth. It is hard to think that we are in a drought and our water is basically being given away. There is also the issue of the pipelines that carry our water. The infrastructure for the water lines is over 100 years old and has many cracks and leak spots throughout, causing precious water to be lost before we even get to use it.

Our resources do more than just provide drinking and toilet bowl water for us. The water levels for dams, if kept above a certain water level, help dams like the Hoover Dam and Glen Canyon dam provide power and water for the cities around them. If it gets to the point where they are no longer able to produce power for them, it would mean big problems for the people who depend  on that source of energy and water. 

It is scary to think that we are running out of water. Not everyone is talking about it but you may have seen or heard about the drought in the news yet not physically been affected by it in your everyday life. We are so used to having water available to us, that it is difficult to imagine losing it one day. Most of us are unintentionally wasteful with water. We water our plants not knowing how much water they truly need, resulting in over watering our plants. Taking a shower longer than 20 minutes, in my opinion, is also a big waste of water. If we get to a point where we are very limited in water, a 5 minute shower might be the new norm for our society. I personally had a habit of leaving the water on while I brushed my teeth, which is extremely wasteful of water on my part and of everyone that does it as well. We need to change our habits to preserve and protect our water sources. We are still on time to educate Arizona’s youth and adults on responsible water usage and how they can make a difference in these trying times. New habits are not made overnight but if we really want to make a difference and protect our resources we need to change the way we use them. 

While we face this crisis together let us help spread awareness of proper water usage. We can still slow down and even fix our growing water problem. We might not be able to stop climate change but we can elect new officials that can better manage the problem as well as promote responsible water usage. Considering the continuous decrease in our dams and the water cut coming up in 2023, it is essential to protect our precious resources without hessitation. We should keep in mind that it is possible to make a positive change by limiting our water usage, adopting policies that put the people of Arizona first, and educating residents about the impact they can have. It will take all of us to improve this situation and we can start today.