Experts say that the optimal amount of lawn watering is roughly one inch for each watering session. In Arizona, however, more water could be needed since temperatures regularly exceed 110 degrees Fahrenheit.
Arizona relies greatly on the Hoover Dam. According to Arizona State University, the dam’s water provides clean water for California, Nevada, and Arizona, but there are concerns over what’s on the surface of the dam.
About 200 feet above the bottom of the dam is a white bathtub ring that experts believe will never go away. Due to increasing climate change and a continuing drought throughout the area, the ring will not remain.
“I think people have come to the recognition that the infrastructure which has served us so well over the last 100 years is not going to do the same job in the next 100 years,” said Pat Gober, research professor at ASU.
When the water level in the Hoover Dam drops below 1,075 feet, that means an automatic mandatory water-use cutoff will happen in each state that relies on the dam as a water source.
Scientists have been trying to determine efficient ways to handle these imminent water issues but need continued assistance from experts in law, policy, technology, and water technology.
“One of the real problems I think we have when we star to talk about it is where to start,” said Karen Smith, a faculty associate in the School of Sustainability. “Do you start with the science? Do you start with the policy, with sort of the politics to go with the economics of it? It’s crazy. There’s so much to it, and part of the challenge we’ve had in Arizona is knowing where to begin.”
According to National Geographic, manufacturing is where one company is starting in hopes of tackling these water issues.
Intel Corporation chose Arizona to develop its second largest manufacturing facility in the country to create silicon chips that are necessary for the technological infrastructure of the United States.
“Manufacturing in the desert, we knew that a strategic, sustainable approach to water use was needed,” said Todd Brady, Intel Corp.’s director of sustainability.
Intel Corp has spent more than $150 million on upgrades to improve how water can be recycled and reused.
“It’s an investment in the future,” Brady added. “Such investments give us the ability to proactively plan for future water challenges.”