Phoenix, Arizona – Desert City’s Growing Thirst
Phoenix sits in the middle of the Sonoran Desert, making it one of America’s most vulnerable cities to water scarcity. The Colorado River, which supplies about 40% of Phoenix’s water, has dropped to its lowest levels in over a century according to 2024 U.S. Bureau of Reclamation data. The city’s population has exploded by 15% since 2020, adding pressure to already strained water resources. Arizona’s Department of Water Resources projects that without significant conservation measures, Phoenix could face severe water rationing by 2029. The situation becomes more complex when you consider that the city loses roughly 20% of its water through aging infrastructure leaks.
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