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Rancho Sahuarita has grown fast, and its water utility has had to grow quickly with it.

We should go where the water is

Arizona’s economy runs on growth. But as the state is forced to make cuts in its water usage, it will have to reconsider what the housing developments built to accommodate that growth look like and even how many more people it can realistically handle.

The seven states in the Colorado River basin couldn't agree on a plan to conserve unprecedented amounts of water before a federal deadline. Meanwhile, grim projections for the future of water levels in Lake Mead have forced mandatory cuts to water for some users in the lower basin. Federal authorities are trying to prop up levels in the nation's largest reservoir before they dip too low to generate hydropower or allow the passage of water.

The Buzz: How will more Colorado River water cuts affect Southern Arizona?

Tucson's rights means municipal users aren't likely to feel the pinch, but the same can't be said for agriculture.

The Central Arizona Project canal north of Phoenix moves water from Lake Pleasant to southern Arizona. July 2021

Tucson keeps same water order despite drought

Kozachick urged council to "lead by example" and cut water order.

Lake Mead’s light-colored “bathtub ring” of mineral deposits towers above a speeding boat on June 29, 2022, near Hoover Dam.

No firm new deadline for Colorado River basin states’ conservation plans

The seven states that rely on the river blew past an August 16 deadline without a plan to conserve 2 to 4 million acre-feet of water.

Granados’ beloved dog Thor — named for the Norse god of agriculture and thunder — heads towards the vermicompost area of the ranch. There, Granados’ California red worms create the compost he uses to augment the soil.

The water diplomats

Many communities along the U.S.-Mexico border share aquifers, and that works better for some states and cities than others. In this collaboration with the Texas Water Resources Institute, we compare how those relationships work in Texas and Arizona.

Glen Canyon Dam holds back Lake Powell, the nation's second-largest reservoir on the Colorado River. The lake is currently at 28% of its capacity.

Tucson Water plans for future

The utility held a town hall after Colorado River cuts announced.

Colorado River states fail to meet federal deadline on restricting water use

Arizona will lose 21% of its Colorado River allotment next year.

Lake Mead and the rest of the Colorado River system are shrinking rapidly. The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation has called for new conservation measures, asking states to conserve a tremendously large amount of water, and giving them a 60-day timeline to formulate a plan for those reductions.

More water cuts coming to Arizona

The federal Bureau of Reclamation has announced how much Colorado River water the state will give up.

Michelle Peters fills a glass with freshly desalinated ocean water at Poseidon Water's Carlsbad plant. Using reverse osmosis, the facility creates about 10% of San Diego County's freshwater supply.

The Southwest is running out of fresh water. Could the ocean provide a cure?

Arizona and other states are looking at the use of desalination plants.

Water levels in Lake Powell, seen here in May 2021, are dipping dangerously low. The federal government has proposed an unprecedented plan to cut back on water supplies for Arizona, Nevada and California. The measure aims to keep water levels high enough to generate hydropower at the Glen Canyon Dam.

Deadline looms for drought-stricken states to cut water use

New cuts are expected on Tuesday.

A canal carries water from the Colorado River to tribal land in Arizona.

Tribes in the Colorado River basin say they're 'in the dark' as states discuss water conservation

The complaint comes as Colorado River water users are trying to come up with a new sharing plan.

Raquel Fregoso in her Tucson garden. The organization SERI installed her rainwater harvesting system, which includes a big, green cistern on the side of her house.

Strong sense of place

Tucson made big changes that had big impacts on its water consumption.

Bogan monitors the plant and animal life along the river.

The water came back

Poor water practices made the Santa Cruz River practically disappear, but new efforts have some water flowing again. And when there’s water in the desert, life follows quickly.

A measurement gage at Lees Ferry in Arizona is the location where Colorado River water deliveries from the Upper Basin are legally accounted.

Upper Colorado River leaders push back against federal ask for conservation

Mounting pressure to find solutions has Upper Basin leaders saying the savings should come from elsewhere

Water projects in Cochise County get financial approval.

The Board of Supervisors vote to approve grant funds for Bisbee Effluent Recharge project and the Coyote Wash Stormwater Management Project.

Rabin's house sits just down the road from a border checkpoint, in a corner of Arizona where water is drying up so quickly that many of her neighbors have spent tens of thousands of dollars to deepen their wells, or dig new ones altogether.

“Not here for some agrarian fantasy”

Arizona plays a big role in providing Americans with fresh greens year-round, and its farmers are feeling the pressure to keep that going while cutting down on water. It’s also not an easy place to start farming from scratch.

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