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A project to move water, change its use, alter its quality or store it is likely to be expensive.

augment (verb): to make greater, more numerous, larger or more intense
augmentation (noun): the act or process of augmenting something

Merriam-Webster.com. Merriam-Webster, 2022.

When it comes to conceptualizing new water supplies for Arizona, there’s no lack of imagination -- and seemingly no lack of ingenuity: Engineers and futurists have proffered everything from ocean desalination to hauling icebergs to 

Since the 1980s, Arizona Tribes have leased water for off-reservation use by cities and industries. A Tribal water lease is an agreement through which a Tribe allows an entity to temporarily use part of the Tribe’s water allocation in exchange for payment.

As used in this series, water augmentation refers to the effort to secure additional water supplies for current or future users. Development of water supplies has been a human undertaking since time immemorial, and it will likely continue in Arizona to ensure water for future demand. Here are some examples of different types of augmentation projects that have happened in Arizona in the past:

People won’t move to a place if there’s not enough water for their needs. In a place like Arizona, where surface water supplies are relatively scarce, sustainable management of water is a prerequisite to developing a population and an economy. Generally, this entails developing infrastructure projects for purposes such as water storage, treatment, delivery and even importation from distant places.

Water Augmentation Series

Behshad Mohajer is a Research and Policy Analyst at the Kyl Center for Water Policy, where he maintains the comprehensive geodatabase for Arizona Water Blueprint and develops web-based tools to support water policy research. His work focuses on improving access to water data and enhancing its usability for stakeholders and the public.