Facing an uncertain future with its Colorado River supply, the city of Phoenix could start using backup water supplies as early as January.
There is also a possibility some mandatory water cuts could be implemented in the city as soon as the end of this year. The city plans to bolster water sources through advanced wastewater treatment and is looking at a plan to share water regionally with other Arizona cities.
City council members discussing the issue Tuesday stressed Phoenix has been preparing for drought for decades and has contingency plans in place. They also highlighted that thanks to conservation efforts, the city uses so much less water per capita today than it did in 1990 that the city’s total water use is about the same despite the population ballooning from under a million to more than 1.6 million.
