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Opinion
Adam Minter

Arizona Can't Keep Growing Without Finding More Water

State officials must figure out how to optimize water supplies without compromising growth. What they decide could affect the whole country.

Housing development will dry up with dwindling water supplies.

Housing development will dry up with dwindling water supplies.

Photographer: Rebecca Noble/Bloomberg

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The 23-year drought that’s parching the Southwest is forcing Arizona to make a bitter choice. Unless developers can find new sources of water, the state’s largest master-planned housing development is going to remain a desert.

It's not just an Arizona problem. Across the American West, demand for housing is increasingly running into water shortages. Surface waters like the Colorado River are drying up, forcing cities and farmers to turn to groundwater. Unfortunately, most groundwater is finite, and once depleted it's difficult or impossible to replenish.