Something like 70% of water usage in AZ is agricultural [1]
Somehow this never gets talked about.
Somehow it's always "dumb to live in the desert" but growing water-intense crop... no problemo.
Home builders can buy water rights from farmers. Regulators are requiring water market participants allocate a fixed amount amongst themselves, but as the quote I copied mentions, there isn’t enough water to go around. Hence the need to inhibit unmet water demand new development would incur.
> The Department of Water Resources said developers would need to find other sources to build.
> Those sources could include officially designated entities that have excess water to sell, or farmers or Native American tribes with water rights, but all are facing short supplies given overuse and a historic drought this century.
> The Department of Water Resources said developers would need to find other sources to build.
> Those sources could include officially designated entities that have excess water to sell, or farmers or Native American tribes with water rights, but all are facing short supplies given overuse and a historic drought this century.