They're Lying To You About Phoenix's Water Crisis

Added: 2026-05-12

[00:00:00]Phoenix is using about the same amount of water that it used in the 1950s. And that's even after adding over 6 million people and growing its economy [music] more than 15 times. If you've been scared off by all of these Colorado River videos, this is the video that gives you the other half [music] of that picture. Now, Arizona started planning for drought mitigation nearly 50 years ago before it ever became a big headline. And today, I'm showing you exactly what that means if you're looking to purchase a home here. So, you're searching Phoenix, you find a video that you love, you find a neighborhood, you scroll through the comments, and there it is again. What about the water? Now, you're going to see this over and [music] over. And if you've seen footage from the Hoover Dam, you get why people are asking this. Now, if you already live here or you're looking to move here, the concern is real. I totally get it. Water levels at the Hoover Dam have dropped a lot. Lake Mead went from around [music] 90% full in the late '90s to about 30% by 2025.

[00:00:56][music] Arizona also lost 18% of its Colorado River supply this year, [music] and that's the fifth year in a row of federal cuts like this. So, the Colorado River is under a lot of pressure. Now, the people talking about this, really, they're not making it up. And if you're moving from out of state, this is the kind of content you are going to see absolutely everywhere. It paints a picture of a desert city that's running out of time, and honestly, that reaction makes sense if that's all you're seeing.

[00:01:24]But the thing is, once you see where Phoenix gets its water from and how the city has been planning around this it starts to change the conversation.

[00:01:32]We'll get there in a minute. So, yeah, the headlines, like I said, are real here. But let me show you the part of those headlines that people leave out, starting with something that Arizona put into place nearly half a century ago, and no other state has done this. But first, if you want to know how this all connects to the specific area that you're looking at, that's exactly what I help people work through every single day. I can walk you through what the water situation looks like for your unique move. My contact info is down below and in the description. All right, now let's get into the 100 year plan.

[00:02:04]See, the thing is most states, they're going to wait until there's a problem and try to fix it, but not Arizona. Now, back in 1980 they passed the law that said, "You can't build here unless you solve the water problem first. Before a foundation goes in, before a home gets sold, that part has to be handled." Now, that's a specific law, it's called the Groundwater Management Act. And it actually made Arizona the first state to plan out its full 100 year water future.

[00:02:31]And it wasn't a reaction to what's happening now. They looked at the desert they were building in, and they got ahead of it decades early. So, before you can build six or more homes in the Phoenix area, the state makes you show there's water for the next century.

[00:02:44]That's not how most places operate. And as of October of last year, [music] the first new 100 year water approval in 25 years was given to Epcor, enough to supply about 60,000 homes. So, [music] this is still moving forward. So, when you see people typically talking about Phoenix running out of water, they're usually talking about the river. They're not talking about the system that contains every home being built in the entire valley. And understanding this difference is really what helps you make a smart decision instead of reacting to what you're seeing online. Now, back around 2000, neighborhoods out here looked very different. You had green lawns from house to house, you had sprinklers running in the heat, and it honestly looked something a little bit more like you'd see in Ohio. Back then, most of the city looked like that.

[00:03:26]Today, it's a small fraction, and that shift is really what explains [music] a number that surprises a lot of people.

[00:03:32]Today, Phoenix is using about the same total amount of water [music] as it did in the 1950s. Same total use even with the population that's grown seven times over and an economy that's grown more than [music] 15 times. Now, if you look at the last two decades, water use per person has dropped close to 30%, and some headlines even put it a bit higher [music] depending upon how far back you go. So, how did that happen? A lot of those lawns got replaced with [music] desert landscaping, low-flow fixtures became standard in new homes, the pricing system actually changed. So, the more water you use, the more you pay per gallon. And on top of that, wastewater recycling is now at about a 97% rate.

[00:04:11]Now, if you're thinking about moving here and you're picturing sort of this city full of golf courses and green lawns pulling from a drying river, that's really not what Phoenix looks like anymore. The way this city uses water has changed in a big way. And to really understand what that means for where you choose to live, we've got to look at where the water's actually coming from. Now, most of these viral videos or comments that you're [music] seeing never ask the real question, which water are we even talking about?

[00:04:35]Phoenix doesn't rely on just one source [music] and it never has. The city pulls from four different places and once you see how that works, the headline starts to look a little different. The first source and the most stable one [music] is the Salt and Verde Rivers. So, these are managed by the Salt River Project and they're all located in [music] our state. Phoenix, believe it or not, only uses about half of what it's allowed from this system. So, if you're buying in Central [music] Phoenix, Tempe, and parts of Mesa or Gilbert, a lot of what you're seeing in the news isn't really tied [music] to your day-to-day supply.

[00:05:04]Now, the second source of water is through the Colorado River. It's brought in through the Central Arizona [music] Project. It's a 336-mile canal that moves water out to the newer [music] suburbs. About 40% of Phoenix water comes from here and yes, this is where the cuts are indeed happening. But Phoenix really doesn't use its full share in normal years, so there's a buffer built in before anything starts [music] affecting homes. Now, the third source you probably won't hear about or maybe you do, isn't something that the city leans on every day. It's more of a reserve [music] and that is groundwater. Now, over the past decade, levels have been stabilizing and even recovering in several parts of the metro area. Fourth source, probably not going [music] to hear about, is where 97% of wastewater is treated and reused, which helps free up more clean water for homes, and [music] that is reclaimed water. And then the state has been storing water underground since the mid-1990s, [music] building up reserves for exactly this kind of situation. By early 2026, that system had stored more than 3.8 [music] million acre feet of water credits.

[00:06:04]Think of it sort of like a savings account that's been building for 30 years, [music] sitting underground, ready when it's needed. Now, here's why this is a big deal for you. The area that you choose to live in affects which of these sources [music] impacts you the most, and that's what we're going to break down at the end of this video. Now, other cities that are in this situation are relying on one source, they're hoping that things turn around, [music] but Phoenix has four different sources, plus a backup plan.

[00:06:29]And what's happening right now is about to add another layer to that. So, while the national coverage and what you guys are hearing is still looping the same Hoover Dam footage, Arizona's already building systems [music] that change the picture completely. And this is just one of several things going on right now that rarely gets [music] talked about.

[00:06:45]First, Phoenix is building its first advanced water purification facility at the Cave Creek Water Reclamation Plant in North Phoenix. Now, this is about a $300 million project, already around halfway done as of early 2026, with a target [music] to open in early 2029.

[00:07:01]Now, what it does is it takes this recycled waste water, it cleans it through reverse osmosis and UV treatment, and it turns it into drinking water that's actually cleaner than river [music] water. Now, that one plant alone is expected to serve around 25,000 homes. Then in August of last year, Phoenix secured $179 million in federal funding for a second facility, and that's [music] the North Gateway Plant in Northwest Phoenix. Now, between these two, you're looking at tens of thousands of households being supported every single [music] year. Now, beyond that, the state is also moving on to desalination. In November of just last year, Arizona approved four large-scale water projects, including [music] one tied to the Gulf of California. Now, the idea here is to exchange water with Mexico's Colorado River allocation.

[00:07:46]These are longer-term plays, more early to mid-2030s, but the key point is that the state is committing to water sources outside of the Colorado River system, outside of all the comments that you're seeing. Now, there's also something called the Ag to Urban Program. Now, in December, Arizona approved its first round of credits under this program, [music] which shifted land from high water farm use to residential use. Now, that first approval alone saves about 437 [music] million gallons of water per year, which is about an 80% drop compared to how that land was being used before.

[00:08:18]Because, believe it or not, everybody complains about farmland disappearing, but farmland uses so much water, so much more than residential homes. And then there's something called the ADWS, which is a new framework created in 2025. Now, this allows water providers to bring in non-groundwater sources from outside the Phoenix area to meet the 100-year requirement. That's how EPCOR approval works. It extends long-term protection for existing residents while still allowing tens of thousands of new homes to still move forward. So, [music] given everything that you've just heard, that I've just told you, where should you actually be looking and what do you need to know before you commit to a home? So, most cities that are dealing with water issues will tell you not to worry.

[00:08:58]Phoenix [music] really doesn't do that.

[00:09:00]It tells you where you're buying and what that actually means. And [music] when you're making a move like this from out of state, that clarity helps a lot.

[00:09:07]So, the real question comes down to where in the metro you are looking specifically, [music] not just whether Phoenix has water. So, if you're buying in Phoenix, Scottsdale, Mesa, Tempe, Chandler, Gilbert, those are established areas. They have a verified [music] 100-year water supply, multiple sources in place. Now, the Colorado River situation is real, but these cities also pull from [music] the Salt and Verde systems that can help cover those gaps. So, you're not looking at taps running [music] dry. If you're buying resale in an established neighborhood, similar story. These communities already have water [music] systems in place either through the SRP Salt River Project or Central Arizona Project depending upon where you land.

[00:09:44]Now, the cuts you see in the news aren't showing up in everyday residential use in those areas. Now, if you're looking at new construction further out, especially west or northwest parts of Buckeye, outer Surprise, I was just out there. This is where you want to ask a few key questions. So, does the development have a certified water supply? Who's the provider? Where is that water specifically coming from?

[00:10:06]Now, there was a pause on some of the outer growth in 2023, which was tied to certain groundwater limits, but since then you've had new approvals, a 2026 court [music] ruling, and new pathways like ADWS that are working to open that back up. This plays out if things get tighter. Now, agricultural is the first to take cuts. Farming uses [music] about 70% of Arizona's water, and those rights come after residential use. Then, you may see slower growth [music] in areas that rely heavily on groundwater. Then, possibly higher water bills or tighter conservation for homeowners. And the last thing impacted is indoor residential use. We're talking drinking, cooking, bathing. So, the difference here really comes down to seeing the full picture. Yep, the Colorado River is under some pressure, but Arizona planned this decades ago, and the system in place is doing exactly what it was designed to do. The concern you're seeing out there is real, but it's based on cities that did not plan. Phoenix did. Now, with new federal guidelines that are coming up, this is a really important time to understand how the water supply connects to the exact areas you're looking at. If you want to walk through what that looks for your specific situation, shoot me an email [email protected].

[00:11:12]I'll help you break it down based on where you're thinking about buying. And if you've already done your research or past the water question, you're trying to figure out if Phoenix is actually a good fit for your lifestyle, I've got another video linked right here where I break down the pros and the cons for 2026, and it's more detailed than what you'd expect. So, thanks for watching.

[00:11:30]I'll see you on the next one.