Tapped

Housing and Water: How government, environmentalists and developers shape Arizona homes

The state's mild winters are often a plus for people who move here. So how does that growing population interact with a shrinking water supply?

Why is alfalfa one of Arizona's biggest crops?

Three of the 5 Cs that traditionally made up Arizona's economy have to do with agriculture. So how is that industry doing as water gets scarce?

How water gets to (most of) us

Most of us get our water from a utility company, be it a large municipal one or a small private entity. This week, we look at the work that one small company does to keep the water flowing, and what happened when another utility had a big problem.

When dams break

As our infrastructure ages, what can happen when structures that are often massive give way?

We should go where the water is

Arizona’s economy runs on growth. But as the state is forced to make cuts in its water usage, it will have to reconsider what the housing developments built to accommodate that growth look like and even how many more people it can realistically handle.

The water diplomats

Many communities along the U.S.-Mexico border share aquifers, and that works better for some states and cities than others. In this collaboration with the Texas Water Resources Institute, we compare how those relationships work in Texas and Arizona.

Strong sense of place

Tucson made big changes that had big impacts on its water consumption.

The water came back

Poor water practices made the Santa Cruz River practically disappear, but new efforts have some water flowing again. And when there’s water in the desert, life follows quickly.

“Not here for some agrarian fantasy”

Arizona plays a big role in providing Americans with fresh greens year-round, and its farmers are feeling the pressure to keep that going while cutting down on water. It’s also not an easy place to start farming from scratch.

Wa:k–where the water goes in

The Tohono O’odham Nation and its predecessors, the Huhugam, have used canals to move water around Southern Arizona for millenia. Today, the Tohono O’odham Nation is looking into those older practices around water and bringing some back into the fold.

When you touch it, it gets worse

The City of Bisbee's antiquated water systems are slowing down the fire department in the face of longer and more dangerous wildfire seasons. Town leaders are looking to solve the problem while improving their water infrastructure on the whole.