Farmers in Central Arizona Prepare for a Future with Less Water
Dan Thelander thinks about water a lot.
“Because we’re in a desert,” he said. “And if we don’t have enough water, we’re not going to be able to farm.”
A second-generation farmer, Thelander works alongside his son and nephew. Their fields of alfalfa, cotton and corn are located just south of the town of Maricopa in the heart of Pinal County’s agricultural center. There are irrigated fields in every direction. Just like his neighbors, Thelander gets his water from the Maricopa-Stanfield Irrigation district, and it’s from a mix of sources.
“Traditionally, about half has come from [Central Arizona Project water] and half has come from groundwater.”
CAP water, which comes from the Colorado River, will be less available to farmers in Central Arizona in the future. There are a few reasons for that. The first is the threat of a Lake Mead water shortage, which will be declared if the lake falls below 1,075 feet in elevation. The US Bureau of Reclamation says there’s a 49 percent chance of that happening in 2020.
