In the News

Glen Canyon Dam

Report raises alarm on diminishing groundwater in the Colorado River Basin

- Colorado Public Radio

As the seven Colorado River Basin states haggle over the future of water allocations, authors of a new report on groundwater argue that equal attention should be paid to the water beneath our feet.

Jay Famiglietti, a global futurist professor at Arizona State University and one of the authors of the research, said groundwater depletion has been worse than losses measured at reservoirs like Lake Mead or Lake Powell. 

Groundwater stock photo

Why this Arizona water expert says Ted Cooke is a great choice to lead the Bureau of Reclamation

- KJZZ

"I think Ted Cooke is a great choice for this job for a couple of reasons. One, as you mentioned, is that he's really familiar with the issues related to the Colorado River, and we're at a critical time. But in addition to that, Ted was the general manager of the Central Arizona Project and so he's very familiar with  the ground practicalities that all of the stakeholders in the Colorado River discussion live with, so he's a very good choice at this moment as commissioner," said Sarah Porter, director of the Kyl Center for Water Policy at Arizona State University,

A river winds through dramatic redrock canyon

Negotiating over a dwindling supply of water from the Colorado River

- National Native News

“I’ve heard on calls that about 25% of the workforce is now gone from Reclamation in general, and so just for water in the West, that’s significant.”

Cora Tso (Navajo) researches tribal issues at Arizona State University’s Kyl Center for Water Policy.

A large southwestern reservoir.

Tribes are hopeful Trump’s staffing, spending cuts won’t slow progress on securing water rights

- KJZZ

“These settlements will continue to go through, but I don’t think the motivation for conservation will be as significant as previous administrations,” stated ASU's Cora Tso, suggesting there’s “more of an emphasis” on the Navajo-Hopi-San Juan Southern Paiute deal as opposed to the Yavapai-Apache Nation’s $1 billion bill involving the Verde River.

“This idea of water investments looks different from administration to administration, but it’s just what industries,” she explained. “The Trump administration is prioritizing oil and gas and nuclear energy in the West, so it doesn’t seem like those water concerns are an issue for them.”

Peellden, CC BY-SA 3.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

Environmentalists say they’re cautious to adopt AI into their work

- News from the States

“I think that it is not necessarily as clear to everyday Americans, about the connection between the development of AI and the physical infrastructure behind the technology and the subsequent energy, water and land use,” said Dave White, the director of the Global Institute of Sustainability and Innovation at ASU.

Tech innovation over the last decade has expanded the ways environmentalists can explore sustainability and conservation strategies, White said. But the decision to use newer tech tools, like AI models, which require physical infrastructure and large amounts of energy, water and other resources, isn’t a straightforward one for those interested in conservation. 

Study: Arizona losing 2.4 times more groundwater than surface water

- Payson Roundup

The ASU-led research team used the GRACE measurements to calculate the loss of groundwater in the Colorado River Basin.

Turns out, Arizona is sitting at the epicenter of groundwater depletion. Roughly 80% of our water use goes to agriculture – with almost 60% of that used for thirsty crops like corn and alfalfa destined for cattle feed. And a lot of that goes overseas.

Rim Country is one of the few areas in the state with relatively stable groundwater levels – thanks mostly to Payson's expensive, but visionary decision to invest $50 million in a pipeline to deliver water from the C.C. Cragin Reservoir.

Aerial view of a canal running through a desert suburb.

What could hold Phoenix back: Power, water, heat and perceptions

- Arizona Republic

Cynthia Campbell, director of policy innovation for the Water Innovation Institute at Arizona State University, spends her days figuring out how to, in her words, “find water, make water, figure out water.”  
 
“If you talk to a water expert and they tell you this is not a unique, unsettled moment (for water) in history in central Arizona, they’re lying to you,” Campbell told The Arizona Republic. “It is a slightly unsettled time. But we’re not in crisis. We’re not running out of water.”  
rain in az desert

A Lake Mead’s worth of water has vanished from the ground. Could Las Vegas suffer?

- Review Journal

For Jay Famiglietti, a study co-author who pioneered the practice of using satellites to study groundwater at ASU, the loss of 27.8 million acre-feet of groundwater should be a wake-up call for everyone from decision-makers to regular citizens who call the West home.

“Groundwater is a trans-generational resource,” Famiglietti said. “If we want our great-great-great-grandchildren to eat, then it’s time to think more holistically about the water that we use and what kind of protection it needs.”

Arizona groundwater well.

Pumping the Earth Dry

- Living on Earth

A recent study finds the Colorado River Basin has lost a tremendous amount of water in the last two decades, in part from thirsty farms pumping water from deep aquifers much faster than it can be replenished. Lead author Jay Famiglietti, a Global Futures Professor at Arizona State University, spoke with Living on Earth’s Paloma Beltran about the “Wild West” of unregulated groundwater, potential solutions and why the rapid depletion of ancient groundwater threatens the water supply for future generations.

Crumpled piece of paper with water falling on it.

Paper water

- Water Agenda

Recharging is more or less what it sounds like: “Reclaimed water soaks into the aquifer, it mills around down there, and you get a credit,” Kathryn Sorensen, director of research for the Kyl Center for Water Policy and former director of Phoenix Water Services, explained. “That credit becomes a right to pump a well.”