This is an article from Landline, High Country News’ bi-weekly newsletter on land, water, wildlife, climate and conservation in the western United States. Sign up to receive it in your inbox.

Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs’ new water system

The newly elected Democrats bring what Arizona’s water politics have long lacked: common sense.

There is a dispute over how to share the rest of the over-allocated acre-foot of land on the Colorado River. But now Arizona has a new water sheriff in town: Governor Katie Hobbs. The Democrat is still only a month into office, but when it comes to dry western waters, the paradigm appears to symbolize his shift. Hobbes talks about reducing demand for water rather than trying to increase its supply. This may sound like common sense, but it’s truly revolutionary in the western United States.

First, a little historical background. In 1880, the federal government’s Public Land Commission held hearings to obtain public opinion on how the land in the West should be distributed. One of the things they discussed was basically human-induced climate change.

There was a pseudoscientific but serious theory that plowing turf, planting trees, building and running railroads, and even building telegraph lines resulted in more rain. Any proof of this? The Dry West received more precipitation from 1869 to 1879 than in the previous decade. This was true, but completely irrelevant. Still, this is not the last time water stakeholders will rely on short-term record keeping to create. consequential conclusion About climate and water supply.

of “After the plow it rains” Proponents used axioms for political and land use reasons, but I won’t go into them here except to say that many of them had “real estate speculators” somewhere in their biographies. When that theory was debunked, the “multiculturalists”, or rainmakers, responded with something new. Balloon-lifted explosives were detonated in the sky, blowing more moisture out of the clouds. They worked on the idea that big battles produce more rain, said to have been first put forward by the Greek philosopher Plutarch and demonstrated during the American Civil War.

Water officials and politicians may no longer claim that growth and development and airbursts actually produce more rainfall, but they often act as if they do. The amount of water in the river is Colorado River Compact proposed to splitStill, the state remains hopeful that the water will somehow continue if it continues to build plots and plant alfalfa. Build a pipeline, but doing so follows the same logic that if you spend cash liberally or stuff it under your mattress, it somehow creates more money. tried).

These days, the rain-follows-the-plow approach might be called the supply-side method. That is, we try to increase water supply instead of reducing demand. And, as was the case in the 19th century, it is intended to allow development and growth to continue unimpeded, without fear of resource depletion.

Traditionally, Arizona leaders have been the most enthusiastic supporters of this idea. Because if you accept that you have a tight supply, you may have to limit housing growth, golf courses, or thirsty crops. alfalfa and cotton. For example, the state continues to leave groundwater abstraction unregulated in many areas. vast expanse of sunken landKari Lake, who was Hobbes’ opponent in last year’s election, supported a long-held dream To channel the waters of the Mississippi into dry states. And Hobbes’ predecessor, Doug Ducey, fork $5 billion To build an energy-intensive seawater desalination plant in Mexico, About $1 billion annually works.

As a smaller example, consider the case of the Rio Verde Foothills, a sprawling stretch of unincorporated housing in Maricopa County, Arizona. Rio Verde does not have a municipal water supply, so residents rely on private or shared wells or haul water by truck. For years, neighboring Scottsdale has filled its water trucks, but Scottsdale has long warned that it must consider its own water and cannot continue to practice.Now Colorado Scottsdale turned off the Rio Verde taps as the river is being drained. Since then, carriers have had to travel farther and more expensively. 4 people 1 family said to washington post The $380 monthly water bill is likely to jump to $1,340 per month, he said.

Still, Maricopa County continues to issue construction permits even though it has fought off attempts by Rio Verde residents to form their own bodies of water to alleviate the problem. Said I don’t want to infringe.Freedom to do what?shrink and blow?)

Large-scale developments in selected parts of the state must prove they have a 100-year supply of water before proceeding. But when a state inquiry found that planned development in the fast-growing area west of Phoenix would fall short of him by more than a trillion gallons, the Ducey administration chose to: . keep the findings confidential.

Not only was Hobbes fickle in his first few weeks in office, but he also seems to have abandoned his predecessor’s supply-side approach to housing development.in her S.state capitol January speech, Hobbes:

• He acknowledged that the crisis was “likely to get worse before it gets better.”

• Emphasizing the need for collaboration and transparency,Hassayampa Lower Basin Groundwater Model“This report makes it clear that we must act now, otherwise this will only be the first new area to face shortages of this kind. I do not understand and in no way agree with the choice of my predecessor to keep this report out of the public sphere and members of Congress.However, my decision to make this report public It shows how we plan to address our water problems openly and directly.”

• He said there is no “silver bullet” solution to the current water problems, seawater desalination, drilling of the Mississippi River pipeline, warfare to increase rainfall and attempts to blow things up.

• And, perhaps most importantly, she has begun the process of expanding and tightening groundwater regulations to stop what she calls “water poaching.” It pumps as much water as it can, even if it depletes the local aquifer. This is why Saudi conglomerates today in La Paz county pump local groundwater, grow water-intensive crops, and send them to the other side of the world. ”

Good start. But is it too late?

Hold the Line: Stories From HCNMore Other places worth your time

once upon a time, high country news is one of the only media outlets covering the Colorado River and its problems in depth. Matt Jenkins’ award-winning “squeeze water from stones” From 2005, or any of his other Western Waterwank works.

But now, with nearly 40 million people’s water resources and much of the nation’s food at risk, the national media is paying more attention to the Colorado River and related issues.Hell, Elizabeth Colbert also came and toured Lake Powell of New YorkerWe welcome additional coverage, even if some of it is superficial or sensational. Today, I would like to spotlight some of the most high profile recent coverage of this crisis.

Craig Childs is one of the best water writers in the West (and professional bull ridingamong other topics) do it again “Glen Canyon Revealed” in the latest version of HCNMoreHe is a finely crafted chronicle of his love-hate relationship with Lake Powell from an early age when his parents took him to camp. His love for surreal mixtures grows, revealing long-soaked wonders he once knew only through the memories of others. The story is accompanied by stunning cinematography by Elliott Ross. | | high country news

Want to learn more about the development of the Rio Verde Foothills (above) and how lax regulations in Arizona led to the current crisis? HCNMore The latest from contributor Sarah Tory, Conversation with Susannah Eden, Assistant Director of the Center for Water Resources Research, University of Arizona. | | high country news

I’ve probably said this before, but if you haven’t read Ian James’ work, los angeles times (and previously Arizona Republic) So you can’t get all the stories about the Colorado River and the waters of the West. LA Times Colleagues recently completed an amazing series “Colorado River Crisis” that includes words, images, podcasts and videos. it is a must. | | los angeles times

veteran Arizona Daily Star Reporter Tony Davis has been riding the beat of the Colorado River almost as long. high country news I have in fact, he wrote many water stories HCNMore Over the years. And now he brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to the latest news on all politics and planning in and around Lifeline. Star,”Colorado River Calculator: Not Enough Water” series, story behind the story In these video interviews with Davis. | | Arizona Daily Star

We would love to hear from you!

News tips, comments, ideas and feedback are appreciated and often shared.call jonathan Fixed-line phone970-648-4472, or email us [email protected].

Jonathan Thompson said, high country news. He is the author of The Wormwood Empire: How a Remote Utah County Became the Forefront of America’s Public Lands.

Follow @Land_Desk

Receive our landline newsletter ↓