Arizona farmers adjust to receiving less Colorado River water
1/3/2022 1:39:22 PM
CATEGORIES:
Agriculture
Relief, Response & Restrictions
Society & Public Health
Water Supply & Quality
AFFECTED AREAS:
Arizona
Maricopa County, AZ
Pima County, AZ
Pinal County, AZ
Start Date: 1/1/2022
- End Date: 12/31/2022
Arizona’s 900+ Pinal County farmers will receive less water in 2022. To compensate for getting less Colorado River water, irrigation districts were using state funds to drill new wells, but growers will still have to fallow land. Forty million dollars has been provided by the state to drill new wells.
Growers from west of Phoenix to the Tucson area will lose water, but Pinal County farmers will fare worst as 30% to 40% of the farmland in Pinal County is expected to be fallowed. Dairy farmers will be affected by the reduction in water supplies and will produce less milk. More fallowed land means more particulate dust in the air, which is already a problem.
AZ Central (Phoenix, Ariz.), Jan 3, 2022
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