With the Colorado River currently experiencing a historic drought, the state of Arizona, which derives about 36% of its water use from this source, is exploring ways to address the problem. Arizona’s two main in-state reservoirs from the river, Lake Mead and Lake Powell, have now been depleted to roughly 33% of their capacity.
This week, Arizona officials advanced plans to bring billions of gallons of water into the state from outside its borders, and invited companies to propose solutions to help meet the need. Approximately $430 million has been earmarked for the effort, which aims to import about 100 billion gallons of water annually, amounting to roughly 417 million tons and equivalent to the weight of 1,142 Empire State Buildings.
The Water Infrastructure Finance Authority (WIFA), the state agency managing the initiative, will need to identify providers capable of delivering the required water while working within Arizona’s financial constraints. In 2024, the WIFA had its budget cut by $500 million, a situation it said “could not come at a worse time.” An earlier proposal to desalinate ocean water from the Gulf of California for use in Arizona was abandoned due to its $5.5 billion price tag.
Next month, Arizona will begin reviewing the qualifications of companies interested in helping import water. The state aims to complete this initial phase by June 2025, but warns the project’s full implementation could take as long as 15 years.