Water Planning for Growing Southwestern Communities - Design with the Desert: Conservation and Sustainable Development - page 273

from coastal areas inland, or even Mississippi River water to the West, 23 would require
huge investments. Quantifying the costs of long-term and large investments is challeng-
ing, as is determining how to pay for them. Fiscal systems that depend on growth to pay its
own way—a principle that most agree is sound—can be subject to huge swings in revenues
as the economy cycles. The economic downtown that began in late 2007 is a stark reminder
of this reality. Contingency planning for expected swings must be a part of infrastructure
financial and investment plans. Once begun, construction of a large treatment plant cannot
easily be curtailed. In addition to the investments required for new supplies and associated
infrastructure, investments to maintain the aging water infrastructure of existing systems
must be factored into the capital investment plans of community water systems.
Infrastructure may not only be dams, reservoirs, canals, pipes, and treatment plants.
Underground storage and recovery facilities have become an increasingly important
component of water systems. They are being used to address water treatment considerations
as well as differences in the availability of surface water across locations and/or time
(Figure 15.3). We see innovative uses of underground storage in numerous areas, including
many in Arizona and California. While in some locations there remains a disconnect
between where water is stored and where it is recovered, in Arizona, groundwater recharge
and recovery laws have enabled innovative approaches to groundwater management. 24
New Mexico is exploring the possibilities of groundwater banking as legislation for such
was passed in 1999 and has a demonstration site within the city of Albuquerque and
FIGURE 15.3
Underground recharge facility. (From U.S. Bureau of Reclamation home page for the San Juan-Chama Project
Colorado and New Mexico, http://www.usbr.gov/projects/Project.jsp?proj_Name=San%20Juan-Chama%20
Project, accessed on July 15, 2011.) (Courtesy of the Central Arizona Project.)