Water conservation has always been a priority in Arizona. With more than 80 percent of the state’s land offering arid or semi-arid climate conditions, it only makes sense the people who call the Copper State home take water management extremely seriously. In fact, Arizona leads the nation in rigorous water conservation efforts, maintaining a 100-year assured water supply to meet the needs of current and future generations who wish to work, live and play golf in Arizona.
Despite Arizona’s leadership status on water conservation and reclamation, in August, U.S. officials declared the first-ever water shortage from the Colorado River which will cause Arizona to reduce water usage by 18 percent beginning in 2022. And while this forced water cut will not immediately impact municipal or residential uses in the short term, golfers should bone up on some of the facts surrounding Arizona’s water use, its reservoirs, water conservation programs and other water information and keep them in their proverbial pocket for a rainy day. These facts come from the Greater Phoenix Economic Council’s recent article on water use in Arizona.
- Only 36% of Arizona’s water supply is provided by the Colorado River; Nevada is 100% reliant, it is California’s predominant water supply at 60% and makes up 30-40% of Colorado’s
- Arizona has 13.2 million acre-feet of water stored in reservoirs as well as underground, with 7.1 million acre-feet of that total stored in Greater Phoenix. Because of the infrastructure in place, we can pull and replace water as needed, making our water supply more resilient during times of drought.
- 93% of the water that enters the Greater Phoenix waste stream can be reclaimed and treated for potable use and this is a huge differentiator for us.
You can read the Greater Phoenix Economic Council’s article reporting on Arizona water, how the state prepares for water use and contingencies and data on other state’s use of Colorado River water by clicking the button below.
