Central Arizona Project Canal Serves 80% of Population in Peoria, Arizona June 8, 2023
Mario Tama Getty
D.living As I drove through southwestern Arizona under the scorching sun, I realized how new housing complexes were being built far into the Sonoran Desert, even as the western half of the United States was plagued by a prolonged drought. I was shocked at how absurd it was. The dusty plains of Pima County around the Tucson airport are dotted with dilapidated homes that don’t even have air conditioning or running water. But just a few kilometers away are luxury villas with valley views surrounded by century-old cacti and cleverly placed rock formations designed in accordance with government mandates not to waste water. There is an elaborate desert garden with
To support this urban sprawl and the economic benefits it brings, a canal diverts water from the Colorado River. The Central Arizona Project, which began in 1993, is 541 kilometers long and 7 meters wide on average, with 14 pumping stations and dozens of locks, carrying 85 cubic meters of water per second.
Pima County has an above-average life on the water front and has a range of environmental initiatives. The Santa Cruz River, which had dried up for decades due to over-pumping from aquifers and waterways (for ranching, agriculture, cotton farming, mining, and urban development), was revived when wastewater from Tucson was collected. It’s starting to flow This is not an ecosystem restoration project involving the re-establishment of a fully functioning hydrological cycle and self-regulating ecosystems, but even with the best environmental conditions in place, the current relationship between us and natural resources is the It highlights important characteristics of relationships. intention. Access to water relies on a large technological infrastructure, in this case a water treatment plant (using chemicals) and a pipeline that carries reclaimed water to the Santa Cruz River. Commentary on water conflicts often overlooks this simple fact in favor of the broad and (seemingly) liberal notion that water should be considered a common good essential to life. This would mean the right to water, (…)
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