In 1959 Senator Mike Mansfield of Montana stated “water was the greatest resource problem not only facing the West, but the entire nation.” The White house press released a announcement stating “We have entered a period in which an acute water shortages are hampering our industries, our agriculture, our recreation and our individual health and happiness.” In the 1950 and early 1960s, Arizona had an extreme drought due to the shortage of rainfall and dry climate.
In the 1960s and early 1970s, two major projects were made to hopefully solve the drought. The Clean Water Act was made in 1972. The purpose of the Clean Water Act was to discard pollution in water and make quality surface water The other project was the Colorado River Basin Project. Its purpose was to develop more water resources using the Colorado River dam to conserve water and prevent floods. The WRRC (Water Resources Research Center) is an research organization that studies areas such as Yavapai County because of the extreme drought conditions. Yavapai County helped scientists understand drought better. In this period, they focused on water pollution. They also researched wastewater management and the process on how to reuse water.
From the 1970s to the early 1990s the state had the “wet” years. Arizona had more rainfall and floods. There was an increase in floods because there wasn’t enough vegetation to absorb the rainfall. In 1983, Yavapai County had one of the most serious floods. So, WRRC began to research the complexity of water systems to help solve water problems such as hydrology, wastewater and reusing water and groundwater issues and rights. For example, in the Yavapai County, they researched water pollution levels in the wells to be able to reuse it. They found high levels of nitrates and serious chemicals. So, they purified the water to be usable.
From 1995 to 2014, Arizona had witnessed another drought and warm temperatures. During this period, the WRRC developed ways to educate people about water conservation and drought prevention. Since Yavapai County was having another severe drought, they needed to teach people how to conserve water. They produced the bilingual Field Manual explaining water quality, water supplies and the use of wastewater. The WRRC also made water laws to plan such as planning and projecting water usage. Another group, Project Wet, was also developed to teach teachers and kids about water conservation.
Over time, much has been learned about water conservation and drought prevention. However, scientists still do not know why Yavapai is still having such severe droughts. So, they have focused on how to prepare for the worse. Even though Yavapai County has had such severe climate issues, it teaches people the importance about water conservation. If people’s actions about water usage and conservation do not change, water shortage will continue.
In the 1960s and early 1970s, two major projects were made to hopefully solve the drought. The Clean Water Act was made in 1972. The purpose of the Clean Water Act was to discard pollution in water and make quality surface water The other project was the Colorado River Basin Project. Its purpose was to develop more water resources using the Colorado River dam to conserve water and prevent floods. The WRRC (Water Resources Research Center) is an research organization that studies areas such as Yavapai County because of the extreme drought conditions. Yavapai County helped scientists understand drought better. In this period, they focused on water pollution. They also researched wastewater management and the process on how to reuse water.
From the 1970s to the early 1990s the state had the “wet” years. Arizona had more rainfall and floods. There was an increase in floods because there wasn’t enough vegetation to absorb the rainfall. In 1983, Yavapai County had one of the most serious floods. So, WRRC began to research the complexity of water systems to help solve water problems such as hydrology, wastewater and reusing water and groundwater issues and rights. For example, in the Yavapai County, they researched water pollution levels in the wells to be able to reuse it. They found high levels of nitrates and serious chemicals. So, they purified the water to be usable.
From 1995 to 2014, Arizona had witnessed another drought and warm temperatures. During this period, the WRRC developed ways to educate people about water conservation and drought prevention. Since Yavapai County was having another severe drought, they needed to teach people how to conserve water. They produced the bilingual Field Manual explaining water quality, water supplies and the use of wastewater. The WRRC also made water laws to plan such as planning and projecting water usage. Another group, Project Wet, was also developed to teach teachers and kids about water conservation.
Over time, much has been learned about water conservation and drought prevention. However, scientists still do not know why Yavapai is still having such severe droughts. So, they have focused on how to prepare for the worse. Even though Yavapai County has had such severe climate issues, it teaches people the importance about water conservation. If people’s actions about water usage and conservation do not change, water shortage will continue.