The Phoenix Real Estate Advisor

I attended the Arizona Annual Convetion last week and I’ll write a few articles about what I learned…check back for updates. Today’s writing is about the water situation in the west. The state sent a representitive from the water department to speak to us.

The good news is we’ve recently entered into the first multi-state agreement on how to manage the water in 85 years. Hard to imagine it takes 85 years for 7 states to agree on how to use the most vital resource we have. This agreement regulates the usage and amount of water each state will receive and should ensure enough for all!

In Arizona the water we use is received as follows- 36% comes from the Colorado River, 18% from all other rivers and 36% from groundwater. If you think about it, one river becomes very important and since it borders several states it was important that there was a binding agreement between them.

The usage for the state is broken up as- 74% goes to farming, Municipal is 20% and industrial usage accounts for 6% of the water usage.

In Arizona we rely on the snow fall for the vast amount of the water we use. The good news is the snowpack this year is at 147% of the average so they’re expecting the resivours levels will increase this spring. Currently Lake Powell is at 47% and Lake Mead is at 50% which doesn’t sound like good news but even with the current conditions they expect us to be able to support up to 40 million people.

One last thing on water, a questions was asked about the level of drugs that is being found in drinking water. Every state is aware of this and have been for a while. The belief is the levels are not enough to be considered a real concern but they will continue to monitor this and research the effect of this on our lives.

Global warming….here to stay or a passing fad? I’m sure each of us have our opinions about this, some from the media and some built on research.  Bottom line is things have changed and the building industry is starting to follow suit.

You probably have noticed the increased attention to simple things like double-pane windows, high efficiency cooling systems, extra insulation, etc. Most people only give this a glancing look while thinking about their heating/cooling bills but some people are taking this to new levels.

Take a developer in the Camelback area that is building ultra-high standards of “Green Building” and a community called Aura at Camelback. They are building what is being called a “Substainable Luxury Living” which takes a socially and environmentally responsible approach to living.

 With 36 private residential retreats set on more than two lushly landscaped acres, Aura at Camelback offers its residents the opportunity to engage in the green standard of homebuilding, which for many, represents a necessary mode of living in the 21st century.

This is just one of the many communities that will start springing up throughout the valley. Keep referring back to this blog as I continue to update you on all the changes coming to the housing industry and how it will effect all of us.