This article is Part 3 of a series providing information about the resilience of Arizona’s water supplies during a time in which the news is dominated by stories about drought and scarcity.  As we noted in Part 1, Arizona has a very diverse water portfolio to draw on, including Colorado River water, in-state surface…

While the local and national press inundate us with articles about the dire nature of Arizona’s water supplies and questions about why people are even allowed to live in a desert, careful planning by water leaders over decades has created resilient responses to these challenges that are unmatched in the Southwest and perhaps the nation. …

Arizona’s water supplies have been front page news for months.  Both local and national media have reported on increasingly serious shortages on the Colorado River and the inability of the states that rely on the River to reach consensus on how to share those shortages.  Other outlets have reported on issues relating to Arizona’s groundwater…

by Fred Breedlove

The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation has released its Near-term Colorado River Operations Draft Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement, analyzing three paths forward for managing the Colorado River in light of the potentially dire consequences if they fail to act.  The Draft SEIS describes three potential choices without making a specific recommendation: (1)…

by Patrick J. Paul

On March 14, 2023, EPA announced the  first ever national drinking water standard for PFAS via its proposed National Primary Drinking Water Regulation (NPDWR) for six specific PFAS including perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), perfluorooctane sulfonic acid (PFOS), perfluorononanoic acid (PFNA), hexafluoropropylene oxide dimer acid (HFPO-DA, commonly known as GenX Chemicals), perfluorohexane sulfonic…

by Patrick J. Paul

On February 21, 2023, less than three weeks after a Norfolk Southern train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, less than a mile from the Pennsylvania border, EPA issued a 77 page Unilateral Order to the company requiring it to remediate the chemicals spilled.  EPA had previously sent the railroad a letter…

by  Patrick J. Paul

According to EPA’s press release, $5 billion is scheduled for investment over five years to help communities that are on the frontlines of PFAS contamination reduce PFAS in drinking water.  The initial allotment of $42 million to Arizona can be used to prioritize infrastructure and source water treatment for pollutants,…