Steps Arizona can take now

Water rights and laws in Arizona differ from those of Israel, and Arizona isn't as close to seawater. Nonetheless, in our view Israel's approach is relevant as Arizona works to close its water demand-supply gap.

Ultimately, the project is slated to cost more than US$5 billion and provide fresh water at nearly 10 times the cost of water Arizona currently draws from the Colorado River, not including long-term energy and maintenance costs.

The proposed desalination plant in Mexico would pipe fresh water 200 miles to Arizona. Credit: Water Infrastructure Finance Authority of Arizona/ENR Southwest, CC BY-ND

What Arizona and other drought-ridden states can learn from Israel's pioneering water strategy

by Gabriel Eckstein, Clive Lipchin and Sharon B. Megdal, The Conversation

The Colorado River’s watershed extends across seven U.S. states and into Mexico. Use of river water is governed by a compact negotiated in 1922. Credit: Center for Colorado River Studies, CC BY-ND

Arizona is one of the fastest-growing states in the U.S., with an economy that offers many opportunities for workers and businesses. But it faces a daunting challenge: a water crisis that could seriously constrain its economic growth and vitality.

A recent report that projected a roughly 4% shortfall in groundwater supplies in the Phoenix area over the next 100 years prompted the state to curtail new approval of groundwater-dependent residential development in some of the region's fast-growing suburbs. Moreover, negotiations continue over dwindling supplies from the Colorado River, which historically supplied more than a third of the state's water.

As a partial solution, the Arizona Water Infrastructure Finance Authority is exploring a proposal to import desalinated water from Mexico. Conceptualized by IDE, an Israeli company with extensive experience in the desalination sector, this mega-engineering project calls for building a plant in Mexico and piping the water about 200 miles and uphill more than 2,000 feet to Arizona.

Ultimately, the project is slated to cost more than US$5 billion and provide fresh water at nearly 10 times the cost of water Arizona currently draws from the Colorado River, not including long-term energy and maintenance costs.

Steps Arizona can take now

In our view, Arizona would do well to follow Israel's lead. 

A logical first step would be making conservation programs, which are required in some parts of Arizona, mandatory statewide.

• Irrigated agriculture uses more than 70% of Arizona's water supply, and most of the state's irrigated lands use flood irrigation—pumping or bringing water into fields and letting it flow over the ground. 
• Greater use of drip irrigation, which delivers water to plant roots through plastic pipes, and other water-saving techniques and technologies would reduce agricultural water use.
• Arizona households, which sometimes use as much as 70% of residential water for lawns and landscaping, also have a conservation role to play. And the mining sector's groundwater use presently is largely exempt from state regulations and withdrawal restrictions.

A proactive and holistic water management approach should apply to all sectors of the economy, including industry. 

• Arizona also should continue to expand programs for agricultural, municipal and industrial wastewater reuse.

Desalination need not be off the table. But, as in Israel, we see it as part of a multifaceted and integrated series of solutions. 

By exploring the economic, technical and environmental feasibility of alternative solutions, Arizona could develop a water portfolio that would be far more likely than massive investments in seawater desalination to achieve the sustainable and secure water future that the state seeks. (Provided by The Conversation) 

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.