Read the following passage about the water supply in Tucson, Arizona.
Pursuing renewable water supplies is absolutely crucial for the survival of Tucson. Located in the Sonoran Desert, Tucson gets less than 12 inches of rain per year. According to the National Weather Service, temperatures often climb above 100 degrees during the late spring, summer, and fall months. For years, the heat and the scarcity of water limited the number of people who lived in Tucson. It wasn’t until 1900, when the city began piping water into town from a nearby well, that the city thrived.
Today, water conservation movements, which have been in place for years, are paying off. Wally Wilson, chief hydrologist at Tucson Water, recently stated that total water usage has reached the level it was in 1994, despite population increases. However, studies show that the city’s population will increase by 25 percent in 50 years. Therefore, conservation alone won’t keep Tucson alive forever. The city of Tucson must supplement with artificial aquifer recharge, which, according to the EPA, actually increases the amount of groundwater available.
This process involves building recharge ponds. These recharge ponds pool rainwater and water pumped in from Colorado, allowing the water to seep into the ground. Over time, this will recharge the water table, increasing the amount of groundwater Tucson has access to. Clearly, without water, the city will decline. We need to take action now to make sure the city is protected 50 years from now.