LeakBird

(May 1, 2009, Treehugger)
The EPA has decided to hand over $82 million in Recovery Act funds to Arizona for water projects that will hopefully create jobs, give a sugar shot to local economies, and update old water and wastewater infrastructure. It’s one small chunk of $6 billion dollars in funds that will go to water [...]

(April 21, 2009, The Arizona Republic)
The Colorado River provides one-third of the state’s water…
The seven states – Arizona, California, Nevada, Utah, Wyoming, Colorado and New Mexico – that use river water have agreed to reduced deliveries if the lake drops to an elevation of 1,075 feet. Arizona would absorb most of the initial shortages because [...]

(March 16, 2009, The San Diego Tribune)
With its vast reserves running precariously low, the Metropolitan Water District has widened its unending search for water to even more distant sources.
Since 2007, Metropolitan’s stockpiles have shrunk by nearly half, drained by a combination of drought, diversions to safeguard fish, cuts in Colorado River supplies and population growth.
As [...]

(March 5, 2009, AZStarNet)
Customers of the Marana water utility will begin paying more for their water on March 27.

The Town Council on Feb. 24 approved an 8 percent increase in rates for the Marana Water Department, which serves about 5,000 customers.

It is the first water-rate increase for the town in more than 10 years, said [...]

As the growing demand for all things water escalates across the United State (hydrologists, water conservation systems, water lawyers, new sources of water, et cet.), the drought environment, such as regions in Georgia, Florida, Nevada and California, has the highest market demand water conservation technologies for three reasons:

 
Timeliness
Fast Payback
Higher Water Rates

 
Timeliness
This is perhaps the most [...]

(March 7, 2009, AZCentral)
A Carefree resident is challenging Cave Creek’s water-rate hike that would affect 9,000 water users in the northeast Valley.
Jim Peirce, a customer of Cave Creek’s municipal water system, took out petitions for a referendum that would reverse legislation to raise water rates in Cave Creek and parts of Carefree and unincorporated [...]

(March 5, 2009, Randall Amster, Huffington Post)

Life here in the desert southwest is richly complex and oftentimes a great challenge. A hint of frontier culture remains even as rampant growth and homogenization take hold at breakneck speed. People love the landscapes and the history, but can still sit and watch both disappear in the name [...]

(Feb. 19, 2009, Christian Science Monitor)
On the Colorado River Delta, some 250 miles west southwest of Tucson as the crow flies, sits Cienega de Santa Clara.
It’s a 63-square-mile patch of wetland – a key stop for migrating birds along an arid stretch of the Pacific flyway. It’s the largest remaining wetland on the Colorado River [...]

(Feb. 17, 2009, AZCentral)
Cave Creek will hear comments Tuesday night on a proposed water-rate hike that could double the average user’s bill and tack on an extra $37 in service charges.
Under the new rates, an average customer’s bill could soar to $77 from $40.
Current residential rates per 1,000 gallons are $2.46 for customers in Cave [...]

(Feb. 11, 2009, AZ Central)
Increasing numbers of Chandler residents are late paying their municipal ) utility bills and city officials are urging the cash-strapped to call the city to avoid water shut-offs.
Jim Crocker, customer services manager for utility services said about 5 percent of the city’s 71,859 utility accounts are delinquent — more than double [...]

(Feb. 10, 2009, Arizona Geology)
The state’s budget crisis will result in the Arizona Water Institute closing by June 30. In a message to the AWI’s external advisory board, Director Kathy Jacobs advised that “some of the projects that were approved for this year will move forward, but most will not – and all of the [...]

(Jan. 25, 2009, Sierra Vista Herald)
Tapping the ocean and seeding clouds hold promise as ways to bring more water to Arizona, but the state needs to make tough choices to ensure a sustainable supply, the state’s top water official told lawmakers Thursday.
“We are spoiled by cheap, readily available water supplies, and we’re going to have [...]

(Jan. 22, 2009, Shaun McKinnon, WaterBlogged)
Arizona Rep. Raul Grijalva introduced legislation Thursday to protect more than 1 million acres near the Grand Canyon from mining.
The measure would withdraw public lands near the canyon from mineral exploration and is aimed in particular at proposals to mine uranium.
Grijalva and House Democrats tried last year to block federal [...]

(Jan. 20, 2009, WaterWired)
Susan Greene’s column in the 15 January 2009 Denver Post suggests something to which James Powell alluded in Dead Pool: Lower Colorado River Basin (LCRB) states (CA, AZ, NV) casting their eyes and wallets south of the border in search of water:
Following Nevada’s example, Phoenix begins to build a desalting plant on the [...]

(Jan. 20, 2009, The Arizona Republic)
The storms that pushed through Arizona in December built water-laden snowbanks in the high country and began filling reservoirs months earlier than normal.
And none too soon.
As snow-survey teams measured the bounty on watersheds across the state, climate forecasters charted the return of La Niña, a periodic drop in ocean temperatures [...]

(Jan. 15, 2009, Arizona Geology)
Starting this month, Resolution Copper will start dewatering its mine shaft in Superior, treat that water and then send it to New Magma Irrigation District located near Queen Creek via a pipeline for use in irrigating crops.
This sounds like a significant step with impacts on water agencies, agriculture, and [...]

(Jan. 11, 2009, The Tuscon Citizen)
A precious natural resource many Tucsonans let trickle away could mean big savings.
Harvested rainwater could be used to offset drinkable water now pumped, treated, delivered and used outdoors, said James J. Riley, associate professor of soil, water and environmental science at the University of Arizona.
An increase in rainwater harvesting could [...]

(Nov. 7, 2007, AZCentral.com)
Phoenix residents almost certainly will be paying more for water and wastewater next year.
The 8.5 percent proposed increase will hike the monthly base bill to $52.84. The money will be used to pay for construction costs to meet federal safe drinking-water standards, rehabilitation and replacement of aging water and wastewater lines, treatment [...]