Agriculture

The Central Arizona Project (CAP) was, at the time of its completion in 1993, the largest and most expensive water transfer project ever built in the United States, with a capacity to deliver the state’s single largest renewable water supply. Dubbed central Arizona’s "aquifer rescue plan," the CAP is also one of the state’s most celebrated bipartisan achievements. The scale and significance of the CAP warrant a look back to see where and how its water has been used since the first CAP delivery in 1985.

The Colorado River Basin is experiencing diminished flows in its rivers and streams. This story map explains how satellite data can measure changes in total water storage, a new and efficient means of measuring groundwater changes.

Learn more about the "groundwater hotspots" within Arizona where there are significant concerns around underreported shrinking groundwater supplies.

In arid climates like Arizona's, aquifers take thousands of years to fill, but modern technology enables humans to use up groundwater far faster than nature replenishes it. The Arizona Groundwater Dashboard provides insights on groundwater demand and supply in each of the state's 51 groundwater basins.