Dwindling Water Supply Forces Cities Like Phoenix To Make Hard Choices

QUEEN CREEK, ARIZONA - JUNE 09: An aerial view of new home construction at a housing development in the Phoenix suburbs on June 9, 2023 in Queen Creek, Arizona. Queen Creek is one of the fastest growing communities in Arizona and is heavily reliant on groundwater for its water supply. Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs announced last week that Arizona will no longer be able to give developers new permits for home construction in some outlying areas of Maricopa County which rely on groundwater wells, due to a groundwater shortage amid a warming climate. Queen Creek is already spending around $24 million in total to purchase 2,000 acre-feet of Colorado River water entitlement per year from the GSC Farm located nearly 200 miles to the west in Cibola, Arizona. (Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images)