States grapple with how to grow in drying West
Across the parched West, there are signs the region’s decades-long population and housing boom is confronting the realities of dwindling water supplies. These have come in recent months from court rulings and executive edicts alike, as states crack down on the potential for new users to draw from already oversubscribed aquifers and surface waters. The skeleton of a would-be subdivision outside Las Vegas illustrates the coming constraints, stymied by a lack of water to support the new community. Water shortages also forced difficult decisions in other places, such as new restrictions in the Phoenix suburbs and a Utah town that halted all new construction for more than two years until it could secure a new well.
Related articles:
- Colorado Sun: Western states butt heads over Colorado River cuts
- jfleck@inkstain: Counseling patience on the current Colorado River kerfuffles
- Agri-Pulse: Upper, Lower Colorado River states conflicted on post-2026 framework
- The Cool-Down: States relying on major river for water are pushing to make a deal before next presidential inauguration — here’s why