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MEETING FUTURE PUBLIC WATER SUPPLY NEEDS: A SOUTHWEST PERSPECTIVE 1
Author(s) -
Maddock Thomas S.,
Hines Walter G.
Publication year - 1995
Publication title -
jawra journal of the american water resources association
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.957
H-Index - 105
eISSN - 1752-1688
pISSN - 1093-474X
DOI - 10.1111/j.1752-1688.1995.tb03383.x
Subject(s) - perspective (graphical) , water supply , environmental science , water resource management , business , environmental planning , natural resource economics , environmental resource management , hydrology (agriculture) , environmental engineering , engineering , economics , computer science , geotechnical engineering , artificial intelligence
Most southwestern cities were founded along rivers or in areas having springs or readily available ground water. Because of the generally sparse precipitation, the renewable fresh water supply in the Southwest is smaller than most other areas of the United States. Despite the arid climate, water use has increased rapidly, first in the form of irrigation, and more recently the use in cities. This has caused extensive development of local water resources and overdraft of ground water basins in some areas. It is difficult to implement new local supplies and importation projects due to a myriad of environmental and legal constraints and a general shortage of public funds. Various opportunities and plans for water management, both on the demand and supply sides, are discussed. Evolving water strategies in four metropolitan areas ‐ El Paso, Albuquerque, Las Vegas, and Phoenix ‐ and issues regarding the Central Arizona Project are presented.