Embattled water district an economic boon for Arizona, homebuilders’ study says
This Shea Homes at Johnson Farms house is an example of a house in the CAGRD district.
A district that recharges renewable water supplies to allow new housing development brings in about $13.4 billion a year in economic benefits, says a study written for a homebuilders’ group.
The three-county Central Arizona Groundwater Replenishment District has been a major economic boon, triggering the building of 350,000 homes in Pima, Pinal and Maricopa counties that otherwise wouldn’t have been built since 1995, says the report done for the Home Builders Association of Central Arizona.
The report goes against the grain of recommendations made over the years by academics, environmentalists and others to limit enrollment of new subdivisions in the district, saying that could cause a major economic setback for the state.
