2023-06-12 04:19:00
Arizona.- Fifty miles (80 km) south of the United States borderon the shores of a city situated on the Gulf of California, a few acres of dusty bush might decide the future of Arizona.
Due to that the state’s two major sources of water, the groundwater table and the Colorado River, are declining due to drought, climate change, and overuseofficials are considering a hydrological measure: building a plant in Mexico to desalt seawater, then piping that water hundreds of miles, most of it upland, to Phoenix.
The idea of building a desalination plant in Mexico has been mooted in Arizona for years.
concern grows
But now a $5 trillion project proposed by an Israeli company is being seriously considered, a sign that concern regarding water scarcity is making lawmakers in Arizona and across the western United States nervous. Joined.
On June 1, the State announced that the Phoenix area, the fastest growing region in the country, does not have enough groundwater tables to support future housing that has already been approved.
Cities and developers who want to build additional projects on top of those already authorized have to find new sources of water.
State officials are considering spending $750 million Initials for the cost of the desalination project, although Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs has to authorize it.
Desalination plants are common in coastal states like California, Texas, and Florida and in more than 100 countries. Israel gets more than 60 percent of its drinking water from the Mediterranean.
The Arizona project would be unusual because of the distance and the fact that the state is surrounded by land.
Water he would have to travel regarding 200 miles (322 km), climb over 2,000 feet (609 m) to reach Phoenix.
Endangered, fishing activity
This project might fill the northern Gulf of California with brine waste and endanger one of the most productive fishing activities in Mexico.
The water might cost ten times more than Colorado River water.
Environmentalists argue that instead of importing water from another countrythe state should protect its limited supply by having fewer gardens, fewer swimming pools, and perhaps fewer houses.
“What Arizona really needs is to put in place a stronger plan to conserve water, piping it would be utter nonsense,” said Miché Lozano of the National Parks Conservation Association.
With information from The New York Times
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