2020 spring

Over 2 million people in the United States lack access to running water and sanitation services. 30% of residents of the Navajo Reservation do not have access to running water from their homes.  This tragedy is caused by historical injustice, the contemporary lack of federal funding and persistent economic hardship on the reservation.

On March 23, 2020, Arizona Governor Ducey issued a stay-at-home order to the people of his state to stop the spread of the novel coronavirus. On his list of essential services to stay open was that of the state parks. The result was that Arizonans flooded into the parks in record numbers to take advantage of extremely pleasant spring temperatures. While this may not be the best strategy for mitigating the spread of disease, it demonstrated that our public lands and outdoor spaces are essential for emotional well-being. When faced with emotional turmoil, people take to the outdoors.

Since the passage of the 1980 Arizona Groundwater Management Act, the City of Tucson has steadily worked to combat overdraft.  Is this enough to sustain the greater Tucson area for the foreseeable future and beyond?  Or is Tucson’s groundwater management plan only another band-aide on a growing water crisis in the west?