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Water Shortage In Phoenix Has Many Dreading The Summer

Droughts and declining water levels have been part of life in Arizona for more than a century, however many residents in Phoenix fear that 2018 will be the year they are finally left high and dry.

The water shortage in Phoenix is largely a result of drought that has gripped the Colorado River system for 17 years. Lake Mead, an important reservoir on the Colorado River, is currently less than 40 percent full, which means that a shortage resulting in decreased water delivery levels is currently underway on Arizona’s Colorado River.

Officials and volunteers have been working tirelessly to ensure that vulnerable citizens have access to water, especially with summer just around the corner. Since May, around 250,000 water bottles have been distributed throughout the community.


City officials are imploring residents to make small bottled water donations to the city’s senior and family service centers anytime during the week from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.

The donated water, according to officials, is distributed by nonprofit organizations and religious groups to those who need it most.

Officials are also accepting large water and cash donations, and they have instructed anyone wishing to donate to call the city at 602-534-0543.

The city is also reminding citizens that it maintains indoor facilities where people can come to be away from the sweltering summer heat. Officials have also constructed multiple hydration and cooling stations throughout the city, most of which are located in libraries and senior centers.

Residents must remain cautious of high temperatures. The Arizona Department of Health Services reported earlier this year that 219 people died in 2017 from heat-associated causes, and that from 2005 to 2015 nearly 1,300 people in Arizona died because of heat-associated causes. 

Although the situation in Phoenix is not as detrimental as the one facing Cape Town currently, officials are desperately trying to find ways to mitigate the crisis at hand, fearing that a failure to do so will spell imminent doom for the community.