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<br />
<br />the CO.1Chclla Valley Waler Dlst!ln
<br />IClnf' 01 cwo a,ecnCH:S chat supply the
<br />.area's Waler!. Man-made l.1kes dun't
<br />really ll!o(' much water smcc the... (on.
<br />Slandy recm;ul."HC the Water th~[ ~IIS
<br />In them. This IS a questlOn.able SIJIC-
<br />mem In .1n area where eVaporatlnn
<br />ralCS hll an estimated 'h [0 I Inch per
<br />day dUfln~ thl: summer, when rem.
<br />pculures can ICdeh Jlmosl 120 dc-
<br />pees, and ....,here the arc.a's nCJ.fh 60
<br />,coli courses ~Ic the Wet stull like
<br />dCl>crt wanderers. San 1:\'.10" Slain,
<br />another P.1]m Spnngs Task fUTle
<br />member, "We lell pt.'oplc we need
<br />more .....dlel. and they build mure
<br />lakl"s."
<br />An;:ona's annuJI renewable waWl
<br />supply of 2.8 million acre. fecI IS .....dl
<br />below the state's consumptIOn tau.: 01
<br />5.3 million dele-Ice!. The extra ~.5
<br />millIOn .acre-iecI come irom [he aquI-
<br />fer. A concerned legislature rds~rd
<br />~omethmg ealkd the An:onJ.
<br />Groundwater MJ.noll:cmem Act m
<br />1980. By 2025, the ~Ct dictated, the
<br />amount oi Water withdrawn lrom tne
<br />.cround could not eXceed the ute (If
<br />replemshment; If 20 .!':.lIlons were tJk.
<br />en OUt, 20 ,l;allon~ h.1d to he put bollk.
<br />But 2025 IS a long .....av oft, The
<br />St.atc's wJu:r.thusty builders .H('
<br />countln,!; on the Central Anzona PWt-
<br />ect to ball them OUt oi the law's tou,l;h
<br />replacement reqUIrements. The PHlt-
<br />
<br />.
<br />
<br />71>.'JJt'<it.'f1Vlfmj.!s'Jr.h!n'
<br />~w~ .....~d more lUat~r. rh~y bllUd more 1aJc~.._"
<br />
<br />ect, now about 70% completed, is
<br />planned .as a 33S.mde-long network
<br />of open can.llls, Siphons, pumpm~
<br />plants and tunnels, which will dehver
<br />1.5 miliJon acre.icet ot water a year
<br />from the Colorado River by 1992. But
<br />that Will not be enough to !Ioatlsfy pop_
<br />ulation ~Towth unless some water-
<br />saving measures also are estabhshed.
<br />By the year 2000 PhoeniX' population
<br />IS expected to p"OW !rom 988,100 to
<br />1,4 million. Water demand IS expect-
<br />ed to Increase some 44%.
<br />And once Anzona begms ~=.;::lin~
<br />Its full allotted share horn the Colora.
<br />do River, r.alm Spnn~s and ItS nel,dt-
<br />bors will be evcn worse oti. Cum:ntly
<br />California IS allowed W Siphon morc
<br />than liS share jthe shares arc parceled
<br />OUt by an mtcrst.ate a~cementl Jrom
<br />the Colorado bce.ause Anzon.ll and
<br />other Western states havc not hmshed
<br />bulldmg theu new diversion systems.
<br />When Anzon3 and the other st3tes 3re
<br />hnlshed California will have to CUt
<br />b.tck liS ~ake hy .lIround I million 3cre.
<br />.eel per year. How ....,111 H mah up the
<br />dlfterencel Good questIOn
<br />Consider Palm Spnn.!':~' rroblem At
<br />CXlstm~ ratc~ oi con~umrrJOn. thc
<br />Va~t .1qulter tecdm.c thiS communnr
<br />has enouJ1;h .....aler to bq;:m the nnl
<br />century. Lonl:,l:r term the outlook IS
<br />,l:"Tlm CaJl!omu 1" mlhl'llr"l \"C.H Of.1
<br />drou~t, .and thl' state'~ ,\letrorohl.1n
<br />
<br />
<br />,.........
<br />
<br />Water Dlstnet, a whole~aler (which
<br />selh water to 27 southern Ca!Jiomla
<br />water dlSITlCts, includmg Palm
<br />Sprmgs, throu~ .n exchange aKree.
<br />mentl, ~toppcd plpmg waler to the
<br />~pnn.i:s m April.
<br />"P.lIlm SpnnJ;s is domg okay now,
<br />but It Will need to obtam addHlonal
<br />watcr by the year 2000 because de-
<br />mand Will keep exceedlllg the sup-
<br />ply," says Carlos Madnd of the Cali-
<br />foml3 Department of Water Re-
<br />~ourees. The turn of thc centurY
<br />remember, IS a qUIck 13 years away:'
<br />"The sltua!lon will be stahle untll
<br />2000 beeau~e of the Centl.lll An=on.a
<br />Project and the con"ervauon methuJ~
<br />Imposed by the .'\TlZOnd Ground....'aler
<br />.\hn.agement Act," !'oays Charles
<br />While of PhoenIX' Water &. Wastcw.ll'
<br />ter Department, "But these thln.!':s
<br />won't cure the problem. We WIIJ sui!
<br />need to be lookmg for other sources oi
<br />......ater," he ddds. LHe la~t YC.l1 the eltr
<br />spent 5....16 million Jar H,ooo acres oi
<br />a.r;nculturdl !.and for Its water n,d1ts
<br />alone. rhoeOlx IS .lIlso comldcnn,l:
<br />c1oud...eedm.r;.
<br />Back to Palm .spnn.cs and the re-
<br />eemh' completed 21-acre OasIs W3ter
<br />Re~ort, .a collection of w.ater ~hdt'S.
<br />"Wlmmlni;: pools, 10Untams, e'"cn a
<br />roul that cre.ates w.avcs lor surllm~,
<br />OaSIs Water P3rk ... ~ma(k next doot
<br />10 lhe [)eSCrl '''.ttel A!,enq'. .
<br />
<br />J.a....llumd /fI(! 'II/lt~ IH"\I of J'hoe'ln"
<br />S3.5 miUlonJor _f~r righu,
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