Search result for Bret Jaspers

Central Arizona housing boom tees up opportunity for water investors

PHOENIX – The Phoenix water-investment company Greenstone stands to make millions if state and federal regulators approve the transfer of water rights from La Paz County land it owns to fast growing Queen Creek. Critics call the deal a start down a slippery slope as urban areas of the state attract more and more people during a long term drought.


Historically left out of Western water talks, tribes intend to have greater influence in future

GREELEY, Colo. – Native American tribes have senior rights to about 20% of the water in the Colorado River Basin, but they aren’t using all of it. Some tribal leaders say they intend to exert those water rights, which would have repercussions throughout the Southwest.


As Southwest water managers grapple with climate change, can a ‘grand bargain’ work?

GREELEY, Colo. – A temporary fix to the Colorado River's scarcity problem has turned attention to how to manage the water supply for 40 million people across the Southwest.


Deadlines are hard to pin down in drought planning for Colorado River

PHOENIX – Arizona was under pressure to sign its part of a plan to save Lake Mead by Jan. 31. It made the deadline, but federal authorities said the deal wasn’t quite done and set another deadline, but it also has come and gone. The real deadline looms in August.


‘Done’ isn’t done: What’s happening with the Colorado River drought plans?

GREELEY, Colo. – The Drought Contingency Plan is designed to rein in water use and — at least for six years — prevent the whole system from crashing.


Arizona’s drought plan faces several obstacles, and time is just one of them

PHOENIX – Arizona lawmakers say they’ve made progress on a drought contingency plan, but much remains to be done before a Jan. 31 deadline imposed by federal water managers.


With deadline looming, can Arizona Legislature agree to complex drought plan?

PHOENIX – Arizona’s 90 lawmakers have to approve a Drought Contingency Plan by the end of January, but can they digest the complexities and produce a plan that’s equitable for farms and cities?


Intel, hoping to become ‘water neutral,’ funds Nature Conservancy project on West Clear Creek

PHOENIX – Intel announced a water restoration goal last year: Restore 100 percent of its direct global water use by 2025. Water is a growing concern for many companies, many of which want to become 'water neutral.'


The Goldilocks approach: Arizona HOAs strive to balance lush grass with water conservation

Lawns and landscaping are polarizing symbols when talking about water use in the desert. Some communities are paying homeowners to rip out their grass. Others, like this Chandler HOA, are trying to save water on the green fields that residents adore | KJZZ


Development in New River draws attention to subdivision laws

Residents of New River, still reeling from a water crisis, try to tackle a potentially illegal subdivision going up in their neighborhood.