Thread by @AndrewNicla

I'm here at Arizona State University's Memorial Union where @DefendOurFuture's Arizona chapter is holding a forum on the climate change and the state's water future.

The panel features, from left to right, Ben Graff, a board member of Central Arizona Water Conservation District, Warren Tenney, executive director of Arizona Municipal Water Users and Karen Fann, the AZ State Senate President.

I'll be tweeting a few of the good bits.

Quick observation: aside from a few mentions in state House and Senate hearings where the Drought Contingency Plan was heard, this is one of the few public discussions on the intersection between climate change and AZ's water future -- in a quiet corner of ASU's Memorial Union.

The panel began with a quick recap of what the DCP is.

All panelists stressed that it, by design, is not the end-all-be-all and that tougher and more important negotiations are ahead. If you need a refresher, read this: azcentral.com/story/news/loc…

Q: "What role should state and city govs play in being more sustainable with water use?"

Fann said AZ is "using less water per-capita than ever," Pointing to changes in tech and water management regulations. Believe it or not, she's right. azcentral.com/story/news/loc…

Q: How can AZ continue providing water for an ever-growing population?

Fann said the public needs to get more involved, and that they and govts. need to "think outside the box," like doing more to harvest rainwater and encourage more every-day conservation practices.

Tenney echoed much of what Fann said, but added that AZ needs to, more importantly, Keep in place ensured water supply rules like AMA regulations and offer more incentives for water conservation.

Q: What practices will AZ have to use in the next 10-20 years to improve water usage here and in the SW?

All panelists pointed to desalination plants and simple conservation practices. While desal might not be cheap right now and won't be the silver bullet, it will play a part.

... Fann added that AZ needs to do more to reduce water lost to evaporation and expand recharge centers.

Last Q: What is an ideal water future for AZ?

Everyone more or less said there will never be one. AZ will always have issues with water, but what's worked before and what will, hopefully, always work is more collaboration and communication between water stakeholders.

... Keeping that communication open will be vital to negotiating the next water deal to come in 2026. The more AZ and the rest of the SW does on its own, the less likely federal intervention becomes. AZ, the panelists said, is better off crafting its own terms, not the feds.