Water conservation is an important issue in the state of Arizona, and “Arizona Horizon” has featured various stories covering the water crisis and developing policies.
View the episodes below to learn more about water conservation in the Grand Canyon State. Watch “Arizona Horizon” weeknights at 5 p.m. on air or on our YouTube news channel, AZPBS Now, or catch full episodes online later or on the PBS app.
Improving Arizona’s water infrastructure to combat drought – May 5, 2025
Almost all of Arizona is currently under a drought condition. Some cities are asking residents to conserve water. Water infrastructure for cities encompasses all the systems that move, store, treat and dispose of water within a city.
Shawn Bradford, Senior Vice President Regulated U.S. Water at EPCOR, joined “Arizona Horizon” to take a closer look at what constitutes infrastructure, ways to improve or repair infrastructure and also how improving infrastructure makes it easier for businesses and residents to conserve water or make it less likely that we’ll use more water than we need.
Study on tap water affordability promising for low-income areas – March 10, 2025
The Kyl Center for Water Policy recently released a study on tap water affordability in Arizona. The study assessed the rates of 659 water providers across the state against two metrics of affordability.
The study found most water systems could increase their rates and stay affordable for homes in low-income areas. The findings also showed in Arizona the monthly costs for tap water are much lower than monthly costs for electric power.
Grant Heminger, Policy and Research Analyst at the Kyl Center for Water Policy, joined “Arizona Horizon” to discuss.
Current Arizona water use issues and fears for summer – Feb. 18, 2025
There are currently two big water issues in the news, including concerns about water in Arizona.
The top federal representative to the Upper Colorado River Commission, Anne Castle, was forced to resign by President Donald Trump. Castle was appointed by the Biden Administration in 2022. Castle said she resigned because she is worried about “the future under Trump.” Castle said this order to release water from California reservoirs shows President Trump’s “total lack of understanding about how the system works.”
To talk about these issues, Sarah Porter, Director of the Kyl Center for Water Policy at ASU, joined “Arizona Horizon.”
Three Arizona tribes sign a historical water rights settlement agreement – Aug. 22, 2024
Leaders from the Hopi Tribe, Navajo Nation and San Juan Southern Paiute Tribe signed a landmark water rights settlement agreement. The signing of this historic agreement marks a significant step forward in ensuring water security for all water users in northeastern Arizona and providing sustainable management of the region’s precious water resources.
Bidtah Becker, Chief Legal Counsel of the Office of the President and Vice President for The Navajo Nation, and LeRoy Shingoitewa, Tribal Council Representative for the Village of Upper Moencopi, joined “Arizona Horizon” to discuss the importance of this historical agreement.
Grass to Xeriscape program: What is it? – Aug. 21, 2024
The third in a series of segments compiled as a collaboration between Center for the Future of Arizona (CFA) and Arizona PBS, this story centered around the environment, specifically water.
Do we have enough water for the state, and what are ways we can conserve it? We took a look at the City of Mesa’s Grass to Xeriscape program. If a homeowner rips out grass currently in their yard and replaces it with xeriscaping, the City of Mesa will pay them.
Where does the Colorado River water go? – June 17, 2024
A study done in 2020 by NAU is being updated to include a comprehensive look at where water from the Colorado River is going. According to the research, the river loses 19.3 million acre-feet of water each year to cities, farms and evaporation, and the water cycle can’t keep up.
This shortage of water triggered a formal declaration of a Tier 1 water shortage beginning in 2021, resulting in cuts in water deliveries, especially for Arizona farmers.
Richard Rushforth, NAU Assistant Research Professor, joined “Arizona Horizon” to discuss the research.
Top climate scientist leads ASU Global Futures Water Institute – May 6, 2024
Upmanu Lall, recognized on Reuters’ “The Hot List” as one of the world’s top 1,000 climate scientists, has been appointed as the Director of the new Global Futures Water Institute at ASU’s Julie Ann Wrigley Global Futures Laboratory.
This initiative is critical as Arizona faces significant water shortages, with its major renewable water source, the Colorado River, dwindling. The institute aims to forecast and tackle water challenges in Arizona and globally, addressing urgent environmental needs.
Kyl Center groundwater report provides guidance on ‘water resilience’ – April 1, 2024
ASU’s Kyl Center for Water Policy published a study on Phoenix’s groundwater use, and the findings conflict with information published by the Central Arizona Home Builders Association.
According to the Kyl Center, many of the Valley’s larger, older cities view groundwater as a deep long-term savings that we will use if our surface-level supply becomes scarce. Sarah Porter, Director of the Kyl Center for Water Policy, joined “Arizona Horizon” to discuss the report.
Arizona Department of Water Resources report – Feb. 5, 2024
Tom Buschatzke, Director of the Arizona Department of Water Resources (ADWR), joined us to discuss two major water issues the state is currently facing: A rural groundwater regulation, which Governor Katie Hobbs threatened to get involved with if lawmakers didn’t make a decision, and ADWR’s assessment on Supply and Demand that gives the state better comprehension of current and future water conditions.
Buschatzke provided an in-depth explanation for what this means and how it impacts Arizona farmers.
New legislation to provide homeowners with water and preserve groundwater – Dec. 11, 2023
Governor Katie Hobbs’ Water Policy Council recommended legislation to prevent “wildcat” subdivisions from springing up without providing home purchasers an assured water supply. The measure is intended to prevent a repeat of Rio Verde Foothills, the desert community near Scottsdale that garnered national attention when the city of Scottsdale stopped allowing residents to collect water from a pipe tapping its municipal supply.
Haley Paul, Arizona policy director of Audubon Southwest, joined “Arizona Horizon” to discuss the legislation.
Last updated May 14, 2025.
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