Arizona to restrict some new construction in fast-growing areas of Phoenix reliant on groundwater

By JACQUES BILLEAUD and SUMAN NAISHADHAM
Associated Press

PHOENIX (AP) — Arizona will not approve new housing construction on the fast-growing edges of metro Phoenix that rely on groundwater thanks to years of overuse and a multi-decade drought worsened by climate change. In a news conference Thursday, Gov. Katie Hobbs announced the pause on new construction that would affect some of the fastest-growing areas of the nation’s fifth-largest city. Driving the state’s decision was a projection that showed that over the next 100 years, demand for almost 5 million acre-feet of groundwater in metro Phoenix would be unmet without further action, Hobbs said. An acre-foot of water is roughly enough to serve two to three U.S. households per year.