Wild Dry West
Posted: Thursday, February 14th, 2008
I have been to Arizona once just to see the southern rim of the Grand Canyon, but when I think of the rest of the state I think “hot and dry”. I think of it as being a desert state and not somewhere to live, but many people do live there and they deal with the heat thanks to air conditioning and sprinkler systems.
In a climate that would otherwise be inhospitable, we have built large cities and golf courses during times of abundant rainfall. Those times are over and now the dry west is heavily reliant on rainfall and the Colorado River. Rainfall has decreased and the water level of the Colorado River is at an all time low. So what is to become of the western states and their beloved golf courses?
Water is a precious commodity in the wild dry west and water shortages have ignited tensions between urban and rural users. Read this National Geographic article and don’t forget to look at the photo gallery.