Is Arizona's Megadrought Pitting Communities Against Each Other?

The climate crisis is intensifying across Arizona, where the state is experiencing the worst megadrought in 1,200 years. Now, some communities in the state are facing the possibility of losing access to the water that remains, reported CNN.

The Rio Foothills community just outside of the Scottsdale city limits gets water trucked in from Scottsdale. However due to the tier 1 water shortage in the Colorado River reducing how much Arizona can use, those deliveries will be ending on January 1, 2023.

One resident, Meredith Deangelis, told CNN, "Every time I brush my teeth, I think, 'Oh my gosh, I can't imagine that I'm not going to have water to brush my teeth.'"

"To think, I have this beautiful home and I'm not going to be able to live here because water is not going to be approved and provided to my home is just incredibly unnerving and stressful," Deangelis said.

District Supervisor in La Paz County, Holly Irwin, said, "We are what I call the 'sacrificial lamb' for the bigger areas. In my opinion, look somewhere else-- we need to be able to sustain ourselves."

The dwindling water supply is pitting smaller towns against the metropolitan areas.

Kathleen Ferris, senior research fellow with the Kyl Center for Water Policy in Arizona, says the current water problems are comparable to the days of the Wild West. Ferris said, "Once you have your water rights, you defend it. That's the way it works."