Ever Seen a Water Ranch? Here in Phoenix…
November 8, 2009 by Kristin LaVanway · 1 Comment
Water is a precious commodity in the desert. A visit to the Riparian Preserve at Water Ranch in Gilbert shows one way we manage this important desert resource.
For hundreds of years, visitors to the Phoenix area have been surprised to find fertile agricultural region flourishing in the arid Arizona desert (for more info, visit Jerry Howard’s article on Water History . The earliest inhabitants of the area, the Hohokam people, were the first to recognize the importance of managing water resources to support our desert communities. They established a framework of canals that has served as a model for our modern day system for transporting river water – chiefly the Colorado, Verde and Salt Rivers – to local communities and farms.
In addition to river water supplied through canals, metro Phoenix relies upon groundwater which has its own management system. In most communities you will find large retention basins that capture rain water and allow it to recharge the water table . Water ranches, like the Riparian Preserve at Water Ranch have systems of recharge ponds that allow treated effluent water to trickle back into the earth in much the same way.
Since I moved here from Southern California, I have been very impressed by the way desert dwellers manage and conserve water. Even when other areas of the country suffered through water restrictions brought on by sustained drought conditions, residents of the Phoenix area were able to continue life as usual through sustained efforts to manage these precious water resources. For more details, visit the Arizona Department of Water Resources.
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I am a Realtor in Gilbert, AZ, working with clients throughout the Phoenix Metro area. I am lucky to love what I do and appreciate the difference I can make in people's lives.
In a previous life, I was a rocket scientist - really! - but decided to step away from corporate America to be a Mom to my four boys. Found it hard to do bake sales, so I ran a small independent programming business instead.
Flash forward...I am now a single mom and I face many, many challenges everyday. I am living through the hardships that many are facing in this economy. These experiences have motivated me to help other people in my shoes.
I have teamed up with Dean Ouellette to form the East Valley Team - the best darn team in the Valley. Check out our site at http://www.EastValleyTeam.com. I spend way too much time on YouTube - check ou tmy channel at http://www.youtube.com/klavanway
Great vid Kristin! I certainly thought Arizona was a high-risk state for drought – especially since I moved here from Houston (the Bayou City). But as a consultant in the environmental industry for 14 years, I was surprised to learn just how much groundwater Arizona has. Unfortunately, much of it has been impacted by leaks from UST’s (underground storage tanks – mainly for gasoline). The good news is that it is fairly easy to remediate and much of the groundwater is never used anyway.
I’ve been away from the environmental field and now practice mortgage lending. One issue that was unresolved when I left consulting was how MTBE was to be addressed by ADEQ and the EPA (MTBE is an oxygenate used in unleaded gasoline). It spreads much more rapidly through both soil and groundwater than the gasoline itself and is harder to remediate.
I had forgotten about this issue since I’ve been in the mortgage business. I’m glad I watched your vid; I’ll keep the MTBE situation in the back of my mind and remember to check for updates occasionally.
Have a good day!