By Angela Gonzales | Phoenix Business Journal
As drought conditions worsen across the Southwest, some Valley homebuilders are running into problems securing a water supply for their projects.
That’s because the Arizona Department of Water Resources — the state agency that issues water certificates — is changing certain groundwater models, causing some developments to come to a halt as builders wait for approvals in certain areas, particularly Pinal County and the West Valley.
As developers run out of buildable land, forcing them to the outskirts of the Valley, they can face water supply hurdles. And now that ADWR is questioning whether existing groundwater supply is enough for these projects, builders may eventually need to rely on other sources that could add to the cost of building a home.
There are certain areas of the Valley where builders don’t have access to groundwater sources, but they know ahead of time they will be responsible for securing other water sources.
Read more (subscriber content)
Some stories may only appear as partial reprints because of publisher restrictions.