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n~,n,?1;8 v::j..., ~ 'v It's north vs. south, east vs. west, state vs. state, growth vs. no-growth, agriculture vs. urban, fish vs. people, the haves vs. the have-nots. It's dams, the Colorado River, mOWltain ranges, big cities, small communities, rural family farms, giant ag interests, environmentalists, water marketing, transfers, land fallowing, importing! exporting, endangered species, wetlands. It's water quality, federal regs, state regs, reclamation, recharge - the works. Providing for urban water needs in the '90s, whether it be from the Colorado River or any other source of supply, is ever more, complex. Bl!t no matter howyou slice it, one fact emerges loud and clear. The Colorado must provide water for millions of city dwellers. And to do this, each state must balance its . river deliveries with supplies from other sources, mQSt . deal with the cOnCerns of its cities, some unique, some common to all. . ARIZONA In Arizona, the idea of a huge conveyor system of canals, tunnels and pumping plants to carry Colorado River water more than 300 miles into the state's most populous counties was dis- missed by a well-placed water official in 1922 as a madman's dream. Today, on the Arizona side of Lake Havasu, a pumping plant lifts water to Buckskin Mountain Tunnel from where the Central Arizona Project moves it 336 miles I to its terminal point, sup- porting farms, Indian com- munities, industry and cities along the way. Some 640,000 acre-feet are ear- marked to help meet the yearly needs of the latter, with such urban uses of Colorado 'River water tak- ing on an ever-more excit- ing and indispensible role. Hot and dry, yet display- ing a natural desert beauty found only in the south- west, Phoenix, the state's capital, has become the nation's ninth largest city, a minimegalopolis of nearly 2,292,000 people. It is a city of high-rise office buildings and burgeoning industrial clusters, excellent theaters and museums, contempo- rary hotels, a convention> , center and a symphony hall; countless shopping centers, colleges anQ uni- versities, sprawling ranch houses reflecting its west- ern past in. neighborhoods nowpunctt111ted with a vliriety of diverse architec- tural styles, endless sub- urbs, some simply bedroom communities, others ele- gimt assemblages of posh shops and resorts that cater to the well-to-do-and a newly found sports ethic that has produced some ofthe most enthusiastic, avid fans found anywhere. Phoenix has three sources of water, water that is vital to sustain this economic hub of the state of Arizona: the Colorado River through the Central Arizona Project, the Salt River Project, a federally built system which supplies the single largest chunk, and groundwater pumping. Leaving Phoenix, the Central Arizona Project's aqueduct moves on to the second major urban area served with Colorado River water: Tucson, home to nearly 432,000 people, more than 712,000 includ- ing the metro area. Along with such large private companies as IBM, Gates Learjet, Signal Companies' Garrett AiResearch and Hughes, major contributors to the city's economy are the University of Arizona and Davis-Monthan Air Force Base. And, of course, . there is tourism. Tucson, where dude ranches were the main draw in 1950, today is a magnet for con- vention goers 'and vacation- ers alike. The municipal water supply comes from two sources - the Colorado River and groundwater, and until very recently only the latter., With a projected population by the year 2025 of more than 1.5 million, Tucson water issues 'will remain in the forefront'of concernS facing: Arizona's ~ decision makers. And try- ing to influence the deci~ . sions will be the major com- petitors for water in the West: Native Americans, miners, farmers, city plan- ners and environmentalists. There is little doubt that conservation and reclama- tion will become key pieces of the water jigsaw puzzle. CALIFORNIA In California, the politically acceptable catch phrase of the '90s is maximizing exist- ing supplies, Building new dams and reservoirs or canals is about as easy as taking a stroll on the moon - it is possible, but the ,1 i ; ,~ problem is getting there. California's north/south water wars are legendary. Allies have shifted a bit over the years, but today there are three distinct fac- tions: urban, agriculture and. the environment ~.. each cognizant of the oth- ers needs, increasingly each on many issues in support of the others, ,but~achfirst and foremostly intent upon protecting and advancing. . the interests of those whom they represent. In water management in Southern California today, reclama- tion,.conservation, trans- fers and marketing are the name of the game_ The Colorado River, is a major player and at stake is a suf- . ficient urban water supply for millions of people. In the service area of .the Metropolitan Water District' alone and Metropolitan is on abottom rungofthe '. Colorado Riverallotment ladder, the river iSavita/. supplier of water-to help' meet the needs of nearly 16 million people. The dis- trict's Colorado River Aqueduct begins at Lake Havasu behind Parker Dam. Water is pushed uphill with the aid of five pwnping plants firedby man and electricity. It moves through a 242-mile, man-made river. And when it arrives at its desti- nation, it becomes an indis- pensable cog in the water wheel that drives the col- lective multi-billion dollar economies of cities and towns from south of the Tehachapi Mountains to the Mexican border, from I ~ .. ;j J ,,~ " '1 .-r. , "'\ :"f 1,:;,1 ....j .,!~'~ :-,Ji I"i ;'i' , -":'!!t.' . :...~. "it ,j ., ~; - :j~ . .-"4._''''-''',