Previous posts have followed the advancing ramifications of what meteorologists and climate scientists have called the “Mega-drought” in the American Southwest. This post offers news about an important new development confirming that the Mega-drought is now having very real effects. The first link reports that the state of Arizona has forced the city of Phoenix to halt building new subdivisions in the city’s metro area. The link calls this action the “beginning of the end to the explosive development” in Phoenix. The reason? The state government has said that there is not enough water to supply this vital commodity to many already-approved subdivisions. Notice that the water shortage is now so bad that the state is halting developments that have already been approved. The State Government has found that too much groundwater has been pumped out to assure that buildings in new developments can be reliably supplied with water.
Normally, Phoenix could increase its supply of water by drawing on increased water allocations from the Colorado River, but we are not living in normal times. Arizona has seen its allocation of Colorado River water decreased significantly in a water-use reduction agreement negotiated recently under federal oversight with other states and Indian Reservations. Indeed, the water-supply situation in Phoenix could get even worse. The first link notes that in its water supply analysis, the Arizona State Government assumed that water supplied by the Colorado River “would remain constant over the next 100 years.” Talk about a rosy analysis! Did the State’s assessment make that dubious assumption based on Arizona’s previous water supply allocation or the reduced water-allocation negotiated for the recent Colorado River Compact zone? If the Mega-drought continues, there is no doubt that the Colorado River water supplied to Phoenix will be substantially curtailed even further. The link states that the drought might “make homes more expensive.” It is also possible that the opposite will occur. With the threat of water cutoffs and/or water-rationing indefinitely looming over Phoenix’s future, many people might decide to move elsewhere where they know water supplies will be reliable. If that happens, real estate prices could drop.
The second link offers another perspective on this blow to Phoenix’s growth plans. It reports that a huge development west of Phoenix intended for 800,000 people is now in jeopardy. Developers who thought they would make a huge amount of money in building those units may now end up owning nothing but a piece of the desert. It appears that some development will be allowed, but the main factor in determining which ones can proceed depends on a calculation of how dependent they are on groundwater supplies. No doubt, there will be immense pressure on local and state authorities in Arizona from developers who want to complete their now-suspended projects. There will surely be some cut-throat political competition to see which projects can be completed and which ones will be cancelled.
The third link refers to the state action limiting further development as a “reality check,” and reports that the water-supply problem affects “over half the state’s population.” It also notes the great difficulty developers will have to locate adequate alternate water supplies when the state of Arizona will be taking a 13% reduction in its water allocation from the Colorado River Basin’s reservoirs under the recent federally-overseen water reduction agreement for water users in the American Southwest. The fourth link offers a video on the water shortage situation.
As long-time readers of this blog know, I’ve warned that real-world problems would occur in the American Southwest if the Mega-drought continued…and it has continued. Other cities besides Phoenix may soon face similar cutbacks due to the increasingly limited water supplies in the region. Since no more water can be obtained via groundwater or the Colorado River allocation for Arizona, where will Phoenix and other affected areas get water? About the only way any water can be found soon is to enforce rigorous water conservation measures such as forbidding grass yards, cutting water supplies to golf courses, forbidding decorative fountains and forbidding private back-yard swimming pools to be filled. If those types of severe measures have to be implemented, you can be sure the value of real estate in the Phoenix region (and any other area similarly affected) will start dropping. This will affect the health of banks and other money-lenders who have financed homes and commercial real estate. The Mega-drought will have worsening deleterious effects on the entire nation if it continues.
The Bible does offer us a warning about how much worse things could get. “Covenant” nations which turn away from God and defy him in their behavior are warned of a series of severe consequences that they will suffer if they do not reverse course. My books and articles (available via the home page of this website) offer much evidence that the USA is such a “covenant” nation. The fifth link summarizes the evidence that is in the books to support that assessment. One of the afflictions that God says he will send to punish and correct covenant nations is to withhold the rain and cause severe droughts (Leviticus 26:19, Deuteronomy 28:23-24). So we should ask ourselves an obvious question: Is the USA sinning against God and abandoning his laws and ways. The answer is a resounding “yes.” If America continues to abandon God’s laws and ways, the national punishments will steadily get worse according to Leviticus 26 and Deuteronomy 28. If America wants to receive God’s blessings and favor again, it needs to repent and start honoring God’s laws and ways again.
- https://www.sltrib.com/news/
environment/2023/06/02/ arizona-limits-new- construction/ - https://www.businessinsider.
com/arizona-limits- development-phoenix-houses- homebuilding-water-shortage- katie-hobbs-2023-6 - https://www.reuters.com/world/
us/arizona-restricts-phoenix- home-construction-amid-water- shortage-2023-06-02/ - https://weather.com/science/
environment/video/phoenix- area-water-shortage-means- limit-on-new-construction - https://stevenmcollins.com/
articles/usa-in-prophecy/
