The water situation in the Verdes is another canary in the coalmine for the unimpeded growth that greater Phoenix has seen in the last 50-plus years since CAP was completed.

Mandatory water cuts among the lower Colorado River states was something no politician ever thought would actually happen, but that is our reality. The Colorado River contributes roughly 40% of Arizona’s water but the state relies on groundwater even more. And yet, there are virtually no groundwater laws outside of Active Management Areas, otherwise known as populated areas.

The Groundwater Management Act of 1980 puts many rural Arizonans and natural habitat at great risk while urban areas pretend there is no water issue. Rivers and wells in Arizona are drying up because there are too many straws in the ground. Politicians and the general public refuse to accept the fact that our drying climate in the Southwest cannot sustain uncontrolled growth in the manner that has happened in the last half century. Even now there are master-planned communities approved in Buckeye for 500,000-plus people at 100,000-plus acre feet of water use per year while farmers are being paid to drastically cut back.

Where is the leadership in the state legislature to update existing laws and address growth concerns? Real property value is greatly diminished without access to a reliable and sustainable water source. Just ask our neighbors in the Verdes, who are freaking out about where they will get their water once Scottsdale cuts them off later this year. Ultimately, we are all in the same situation. For now, let’s be happy CAP water is still flowing. Everything will be fine…Everything will be fine.