This Los Angeles Times story doesn’t mention the word “water.” But it’s a perfect glimpse of the trend I highlighted in my water story today. The Colorado River — one of our major water sources — is facing serious pressures. The rampant residential growth in Nevada and Arizona is stressing a water supply once considered inexhaustible. Meanwhile, the river is languishing through its eighth year of drought.
Less than a decade ago, the Bureau of Reclamation, which manages the Colorado’s water, was drawing up plans for water surpluses. Today, the federal agency is trying to figure out how to divvy up water during shortages.
The Times examines why people are moving to the desert:
As much as California has beckoned adventurers throughout its history, the state has had an equally long tradition of defectors, in search, at least in the last generation, of destinations with fewer cars and cheaper houses. … February’s median home price — the level at which half of all home sales are above and half below — speaks volumes about California migration patterns. Los Angeles County: $528,000. Las Vegas area: $300,000. Phoenix area: $253,000.