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This policy brief synthesizes the findings from a three-day workshop held at University of Arizona in April 2023, focused on identifying the governance and policy challenges to a NZUW future in the Southwest US. The workshop involved water managers, non-governmental organizations, and academics from across the Southwest, and was part of a four-year National Science Foundation Research Coordination Network (RCN) grant under the Dynamic and Integrated Socio-Environmental Systems (DISES) Program. The ultimate purpose of this DISES-RCN is to define and examine the viability and value of pursuing a NZUW approach in arid and semi-arid urban scenarios of Albuquerque, Denver, Los Angeles, and Tucson, all serviced by the Colorado River. A NZUW approach meets the needs of a given community with a locally available and sustainable water supply, without detriment to interconnected systems or long-term water supply (1). It is an integrative approach that uses progressive targets and a quantitative assessment framework to adapt to challenges created by multiple drivers of change in the urban water system. The findings detailed in this policy brief have been published in a recent ACS ES&T Water article titled “Advancing a Net Zero Urban Water Future in the United States Southwest: Governance and Policy Challenges and Future Needs” (2). This RCN is spearheaded by the University of Arizona, Colorado School of Mines, Colorado State University, University of New Mexico, and University of California Los Angeles, in collaboration with Tucson Water, Denver Water, Albuquerque Bernalillo County Water Utility Authority, and Los Angeles Department of Water and Power. The NZUW research network aims to improve the sustainability, resilience, and adaptation of urban water systems impacted by the Colorado river crisis and the recent reductions in their water allocations imposed by the Bureau of Reclamation (3).
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Advancing a Net Zero Urban Water Future in the United States Southwest: Governance and Policy Challenges and Future Needs
The Colorado River supplies >40 million people in the United States Southwest with their daily water supply and is unable to meet the current demands. New approaches are needed to enhance sustainability and resilience. A net zero urban water (NZUW) approach meets the needs of a given community with a locally available and sustainable water supply, without detriment to interconnected systems and the long-term water supply. Transitioning to a NZUW future will require considerable modifications to governance and policy across the Southwest and its cities specifically. We identify five areas of governance and policy challenges: diversified water sources and sinks; planning, design, and operation; monitoring and enforcement; coordination; and addressing equity and justice. Four case study cities are investigated: Albuquerque, Denver, Los Angeles, and Tucson. Across these cities, the policy priorities include supporting potable water reuse, coordinating policies across jurisdictions for alternative water sources, addressing equity and justice, developing and incentivizing water conservation plans, and making aquifer storage and recovery projects easier and more economical to pursue. We conclude that a NZUW transition in the Southwest faces considerable governance and policy challenges, but moving cities toward this goal is crucial.
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- Award ID(s):
- 2206132
- PAR ID:
- 10524849
- Author(s) / Creator(s):
- ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; more »
- Publisher / Repository:
- ES&T Water
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- ACS ES&T Water
- Volume:
- 4
- Issue:
- 5
- ISSN:
- 2690-0637
- Page Range / eLocation ID:
- 1966 to 1977
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
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- Free Publicly Accessible Full Text
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Accepted Manuscript1.0
- Journal Article:
- https://doi.org/10.1021/acsestwater.4c00031
