As the reliability of the Colorado River continues to wane, the city of Chandler is taking proactive steps to bolster its water infrastructure with a $1 million federal grant. This initiative aims to enhance the city’s water system by diversifying its sources.
Arizona’s water authorities have underscored the importance of having a robust water system that taps into multiple sources. This need has become more acute following federal proposals that could significantly reduce Arizona’s allocation of Colorado River water. Such reductions, according to water officials, could be “devastating.”
During a recent press event, Rep. Greg Stanton, who played a pivotal role in obtaining the grant, addressed the media. “You would think we would not have so many cameras here for a project announcing a new well in the city of Chandler,” he observed. “Is a well a sexy project? Heck yeah, it is, because water is the most important issue that we are facing in Arizona.”
Currently, only 6% of Chandler’s water supply is sourced from underground wells, which serve as a vital supplement to the water from the Colorado and Salt River systems, particularly during the summer months when demand surges.
Chandler Mayor Kevin Hartke emphasized the significance of this diversification. “This diversification is essential to ensuring stability in the face of drought and the growing demands on the Colorado River,” he stated. Hartke, along with other city leaders, has urged federal water managers to reconsider proposed reductions to Arizona’s Colorado River water allocation, citing potential adverse effects on the burgeoning tech manufacturing sector in the state. Chandler is home to numerous high-tech firms, including semiconductor manufacturers. More information on Chandler’s high-tech industry can be found here.
Highlighting the critical role of these industries, Stanton remarked that “water security in Arizona and in Chandler is national security.” He further elaborated on Chandler’s development, noting, “As we’ve grown, Chandler has done such an incredible job of building the industries of the future, high wage jobs, particularly on the Price Corridor. All that development is actually being done with less water than ever before. But moving forward, we’re going to have to invest even more in conservation efforts.”
Federal funding has been a cornerstone of water conservation initiatives throughout Arizona and the Colorado River basin, which spans from Wyoming to San Diego. While the Biden administration allocated substantial resources to assist cities, farms, and tribes in adapting to a prolonged megadrought, the continuity of this funding has become uncertain under the Trump administration.
