Groundwater is water that fills the spaces within and between soil particles and rock formations underground. It is primarily withdrawn through wells that pump groundwater from below the water table. Throughout most of Arizona, only about 2.5% of precipitation converts to groundwater. In many parts of the state, groundwater withdrawals exceed the natural rate of recharge.
Arizona’s water information comes from many sources, making it difficult to see the full picture of your local water conditions. The About My Water app brings trusted, publicly-sourced data together in one place to provide a clear view of local water providers, groundwater conditions and water sources.
Developed by the Kyl Center for Water Policy at ASU’s Morrison Institute, it helps residents and decision‑makers understand Arizona’s water with confidence.
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 how to use the interactive map of groundwater level changes throughout Arizona's 51 basins.
Learn more about the "groundwater hotspots" within Arizona where there are significant concerns around underreported shrinking groundwater supplies.
Within Arizona's Active Management Areas (areas in which groundwater use is highly regulated) there is a cap and trade system for groundwater, and cities, Tribes and other entities can accrue and exchange long term storage credits for water that is stored in underground aquifers. This report explains how these credits are accrued and accounted for and how they have become an integral tool for water providers. It includes a dashboard of long term storage credit accounts in Arizona.
Learn the story of Arizona’s water, past and present: where it comes from, how it’s used and what challenges lie ahead.
To ensure long-term supplies, Arizona has imposed limitations on future housing developments in the Greater Phoenix area that rely on local groundwater. This report explains these limitations and explores whether and how these limits will impact housing affordability.
Four of Arizona's Active Mangagement Areas (AMAs) have a goal of "safe-yield" -- a long-term balance between groundwater withdrawals and recharge. And yet four decades after that goal was adopted there is little expectation that any AMA will achieve safe yield over the long-term. This critical analysis examines the barriers to achieving safe-yield and offers recommendations for strengthening groundwater management in the AMAs.
The Central Arizona Groundwater Replenishment District (CAGRD) was created to enable groundwater-reliant urban growth in areas that lacked access to renewable supplies. This critical analysis examines how CAGRD has shaped urban growth and water policy over the past 25 years, outlining reforms to strengthen the state's water future amidst CAGRD's long-term sustainability challenges.