Jason Wood and Eric Wanner Write Op-Ed for Phoenix Business Journal Clarifying Misconceptions About Arizona Water Policy
Some recent media coverage has given the impression that Arizona is facing a major water crisis that could threaten the state’s economic development. In a Phoenix Business Journal opinion column, Quarles & Brady partners Jason Wood and Eric Wanner explain why the reality is much more encouraging.
Wood, the Phoenix office managing partner and a member of the firm’s Real Estate Practice Group, and Wanner, Arizona chair of the Real Estate Group, noted that the state has a long track record of responsible water management and conservation and offered insight on what businesses looking to operate in the state need to understand.
An excerpt:
Contrary to splashy headlines, there’s ample reason to be optimistic. Ongoing advancements in technology, conservation and water augmentation are on track to more than compensate for the 4% deficit cited as reason for the new policy…
The hope is that the state’s water resources department will administer this new policy in a thoughtful and expedient manner that will allow development in the affected areas, while continuing Arizona’s historic commitment to water conservation. After all, from the creation of the Central Arizona Project by Sen. Carl Hayden and the enactment of the 1980 Groundwater Management Act, to Gov. Ducey’s allocation of over $1 billion toward future supplies, Arizona has actively managed its water supply and leads the nation in comprehensive water management and conservation. Why would we stop now?