In this Tapped episode, Katya Mendoza and Paola Rodriguez explore the history of the Havasupai people's fight to stop uranium mining near the Grand Canyon and why they worry about water contamination.

For people who visit or call Grand Canyon National Park home, the water issues mainly come around moving water up to the rim where the homes, hotels, and other businesses sit. But, head downstream to one of the most remote tribal nations in America, and the water issues are very different. The Havasupai people's land sits in the canyon, surrounded on all sides by the park. They're not worried about pumping the water up. Their worries are about what trickles down. Upstream from them sits an area where uranium mining was once plentiful. And that atomic-age history is causing concerns about water quality.

In this Tapped episode, Danyelle Khmara delves into the Grand Canyon's water infrastructure challenges and the extraordinary Transcanyon Waterline upgrade, highlighting the complexities of delivering clean water in this iconic natural wonder.

Lake Powell is the reason Page, Arizona exists. The city of 7,500 started as a work camp for those building Glen Canyon Dam. Today, the lake and dam provide the it with water and electricity, and lake-related business accounts for about three-quarters of its taxbase. So how does the ebb and flow of the lake's main source of water, the Colorado River, affect life in Page?

The story of a home development in Cochise County has taken a second big turn since we published Episode 4 of this series, so Summer Hom is back with the latest on this ongoing saga.

We wrap up our look at the 5 Cs of Arizona's economy with an examination of copper. The state is dotted with towns that at some point relied on mineral extraction for jobs. And that industry's historical practices around water use have reflected the state's feelings about both natural resources, whether it's dropping slag into rivers in the early-to-mid 1900s or efforts to squeeze and treat every drop of water out of today's tailings. How does this stalwart of Arizona's economy compare to others when it comes to water use?

Hi, Tapped listeners. Our last episode mentioned issues around the adjudication of just how much water should be guaranteed to run through the San Pedro River. At the time we were reporting, that amount had not been quantified. But it now has. While we haven't combed through the details yet, you can get updates as we follow this story at news.azpm.org

Climate has always been the most nebulous of Arizona's 5 Cs. The most common thought of what it refers to is the mild winters and low humidity that, unless you're in the mountains, dominate the state. Winter weather that often requires little more than a sweater often entices northerners when Jack Frost is doing a little more than nipping at their noses. As people relocate to Arizona, it brings a need for increased housing and thus a need for more residential water consumption. As the state deals with concerns about water and homebuilding, we head to a part of the state that has been battling such concerns for nearly two decades to learn about two long, protracted battles over building houses while trying to keep a river alive.

Children in Arizona are often taught the 5 Cs that traditionally made up the state's economy: Cattle, Citrus, Climate, Copper and Cotton. As the state of our water supply changes, what's happening to those longtime industries? Tapped begins a mini-series looking to answer that question with an episode on agriculture, the economic sector that includes three of those five Cs. Is the industry that accounts 72% of the state's water consumption using its supply of water wisely?

Most of us get our water from a utility company, be it a large municipal one or a small private entity. This week, we look at the work that one small company does to keep the water flowing, and what happened when another utility had a big problem.

Dams are a key part of Arizona's water infrastructure, but experts say they are often ignored. So what happens when one breaks? To open our second season, we look at two examples that show opposite extremes of the results of a dam failure.

Tapped returns with all-new episodes on August 23, 2023. This season, we focus on how we get water from where it is to where we want it and the effects that has on our lives and the environment.

Arizona’s economy runs on growth–more people moving here, and more companies coming with them. But as the state is forced to make cuts in its water usage, it will have to reconsider what the housing developments built to accommodate that growth look like and even how many more people it can realistically handle.

Many communities along the U.S.-Mexico border share aquifers, and that works better for some states and cities than others. In this collaboration with the Texas Water Resources Institute, we compare how those relationships work in Texas and Arizona.

We're taking a short break this week, but come back on Monday, August 22 for stories about water on the border.

Tucson made big changes that had big impacts on its water consumption. What else could it do if it can pull off more shifts like this?

Poor water practices made the Santa Cruz River practically disappear, but new efforts have some water flowing again. And when there’s water in the desert, life follows quickly. Animals and plants that used to rely on the river are returning, sometimes with the help of scientists.

For a place with a desert climate, Southern Arizona can be surprisingly green. The state plays a big role in providing Americans with fresh greens year-round, and its farmers are feeling the pressure to keep that going while cutting down on water. It’s also not an easy place to start farming from scratch.

The Tohono O’odham Nation and its predecessors, the Huhugam, have used canals to move water around Southern Arizona for millenia. As settlers arrived, they dug deep and changed the face of water management in the area, drying up rivers and tightening resources. Now, the Tohono O’odham Nation is looking into older practices around water and bringing some back into the fold.

Wildfire seasons are growing longer and doing more damage in the American West. The City of Bisbee’s water system for fighting fires is so antiquated that it’s slowing the fire department down and causing more destruction. Town leaders are working to get money for a new system that wouldn’t just prepare Bisbee to fight major fires, but also bring its water infrastructure on the whole up to speed.