As Arizona's water sources continue to face the affliction of persistent drought, the state's Water Infrastructure Finance Authority (WIFA) is actively exploring fresh avenues to bolster its dwindling supply. According to ABC15, WIFA has put forth seven water-supply proposals, three of which dive into the realm of desalination – a move that underscores the severity and urgency of Arizona's quest for water security.
WIFA's approach spans across border lines and seeks to engage in water exchange deals with neighboring California or Mexico, rather than ushering saltwater through long-distance pipelines. "There's more than 120 ‘desal’ plants worldwide and so the technology is there. It's proven technology," WIFA Chairman Jonathan Lines conveyed. The plan's intricacies include capturing water usually lost to the sea and improving wastewater treatment beyond state boundaries – tactics that replace the conventional wisdom of merely conserving our existing resources.
The drive towards actionable solutions gains further momentum as KJZZ reported that WIFA's recent unanimous vote propels the state towards the pre-development stages of four key water augmentation projects. Tom Buschatzke, Arizona Department of Water Resources Director, affirmed, "This is a huge milestone for the state of Arizona. We have huge water challenges facing us. This is going to be a key tool.”
Yet, these undertakings don't signal an instant panacea to the arid state's thirst. With convolutions tied to cost and interstate cooperation, the full details of the financials as well as the potential yield in water supplies remain clouded in uncertainty. Some of the projects – precisely those involving desalination – aren't expected to be operational until 2031 at the earliest. They form a part a multifaceted solution, or as WIFA Director Chelsea McGuire phrased it, "There's no silver bullet...it's silver buckshot."
Even as Arizonans are called upon to weigh in through a public comment portal, formal negotiations with project proponents mark the next chapter in these ambitious endeavors. Should these proposals transition from paper to practice, they promise to funnel up to around 500,000 acre-feet of water a year into Arizona's supply. And while the act of forecasting exact costs is an endeavor that's still to unfold over coming months, it is evident that a mix of private investment and taxpayer dollars will feed into the reservoir of funds required to bring these water projects to fruition.
