Potential Water Augmentation Needs in Central Arizona

Central Arizona – the Phoenix to Tucson region – is facing deeper cuts in Colorado River supplies and approaching the limits of new urban development reliant on local groundwater. Yet, year after year, the region continues to attract more people and industry. 

In our newest report, Potential Water Augmentation Needs in Central Arizona, the Kyl Center for Water Policy explores whether central Arizona will need additional water supplies to meet existing demand and new demand from economic and population growth.

Because land-use choices rather than population growth are the primary driver of the region’s future water needs, our analysis focuses on new development's average water-use intensity  – that is, annual water demand per acre – and concludes that augmentation needs range dramatically depending on the type of development that occurs. Low water-use intensity development of around 0.7 acre-feet per acre per year will result in relatively modest water augmentation needs. However, if future growth carries an average water-use intensity of 1.8 acre-feet per acre per year or more, it will result in much greater needs for new water supplies .