Kelly Mott Lacroix,Linda Stitzer,Richard Burtell, University of Arizona, Arid Lands Resource Sciences, klacroix@email.arizona.edu
In July 2010 the Arizona Department of Water Resources began an analysis of water resource vulnerability and sustainability in Arizona’s 51 groundwater basins using information compiled during the seven-year Arizona Water Atlas project. The goal of this study is to answer the question: “Which Arizona communities have enough water?” To complete this task the Department has created a vulnerability assessment with five categories that can affect the sustainability of a basin’s water supply: 1) physical supply conditions; 2) current or projected demand conditions; 3) sensitivity to extended drought or shortage; 4) legal and management considerations; and 5) environmental values. Each category contains criteria that will be qualitatively and quantitatively assessed and basin vulnerability classified as either minimum, moderate or high. Between August 2010 and April 2011 the research team met with over 100 stakeholders across Arizona to discuss and refine the vulnerability criteria. This paper discusses the creation of Arizona’s water resource vulnerability assessment, the final criteria that will be used to assess a groundwater basins’ current and future vulnerability to water supply shortage and lessons learned from the project.
Keywords: Water Supply, Vulnerability Assessment, Public Participation