The First Big Shoe to Drop in Arizona’s Water Crisis: Farming

              As regular readers know, water is a subject that we frequently write about; we don’t think we need to explain the importance of it to us. While the Rio Verde Foothills seems to be mostly behind us at this point, water levels at Lake Mead and Lake Powell are ever-present concerns in our … Read More

Drought Update: Lake Mead Rise is Over for Now, Will We See a Reversal?

While we often are focused on the Rio Verde Foothills as the main water story locally, but in reality the drought supercycle that has impacted the Colorado River, and thus Lake Mead and Lake Powell (representing Arizona’s water supply) had been the preeminent local story in the run-up to the Rio Verde Foothills crisis. Now that the crisis in the … Read More

In the Wake of the Rio Verde Foothills Crisis, Water Rights Come Front and Center

Regular readers are acutely aware of the water crisis in the Rio Verde Foothills, the beleaguered community on the border of Scottsdale. Their trouble securing a long-term water source has been well documented and is still an ongoing process. But as the state legislature and other entities were forced to weigh in on the subject, it has now become clear … Read More

Real Progress: the Rio Verde Foothills Step Closer to Normalcy

It has been quite the roller coaster for the residents of the Rio Verde Foothills and their attempt to secure a long term source for water; you can get fully up to date here. Through nearly a full year of ups and downs, of political grandstanding and anger from the citizenry, the people in this region have taken a significant … Read More

Guest Editorial: SB1432 – A Win for Scottsdale, Rio Verde Foothills Residents, and Arizona

By Councilmember Solange Whitehead This past week, Governor Katie Hobbs signed SB1432 into law with an emergency clause. The bipartisan bill creates a path to water security for Rio Verde Foothills residents. I discussed the new law with Mark Brodie on KJZZ’s The Show this week.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7A8w7hlBdFg In passing the law, the State ends a water crisis created in part by … Read More

A Landmark Water Deal Hits Home to Arizona: Have We Solved the Water Crisis?

The 800 pound elephant that is constantly in the gigantic room that is Arizona is water: the specter of dwindling water from our most prominent water sources, of long term drought, and potentially the end of the Arizona (and more overarchingly, the American Southwest) that we have learned to love. We have covered the topic frequently, and you can get … Read More

Is the Light at the End of the Tunnel with Arizona’s Drought?

Not just around the country, but around the world people often have a singular first thought that pops into their mind when they are asked about Arizona: it’s a desert, it’s dry, it’s hot, or something of the sort. Water has always been a significant question mark, but that has intensified in recent years as water levels at our biggest … Read More