New report on groundwater use for Phoenix homes

The Kyl Center for Water Policy recently released a report called “Untangling Housing Affordability and Groundwater Regulation.”

In June 2023, the State of Arizona published a new groundwater model, triggering a moratorium on the issuance of permits for proposed subdivisions that would rely on local groundwater. That means in some parts of Phoenix, new housing subdivisions will not be permitted unless the developers secure water supplies other than local groundwater.

The Kyl Center report notes that while the new limitations on groundwater use may increase the costs of new homes in some parts of the greater Phoenix area, cities have a variety of strategies available to encourage lower cost development to mitigate those impacts.

Dr. Kathryn Sorensen, Director of Research at the Kyl Center for Water Policy, joined us to discuss the findings.