Tucson has 5.5 years of excess Colorado River water stowed in a secret reservoir
Arizona is facing dramatic cuts in water deliveries from the drought-imperiled Colorado River. But many water managers there aren’t that worried due to a long in the works conservation strategy. … The idea is you bank the water for lean times. The excess is then pumped back out of the ground and into taps in the city about 30 miles east of here. In fact, a lot of Arizona has been banking its Colorado River water in underground reservoirs like this for decades. The state pioneered the practice because it had to, says Kathryn Sorensen. She’s a water policy expert at Arizona State University. … “It’s a secret underground reservoir. You’re right. Most people really aren’t that interested in water issues until there’s a crisis.”
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