A recent article the L.A. Times called “Phoenix’s too hot future” has sparked an interstate quarrel between two cities through their newspapers on who has the least sustainable water supply.
When Los Angeles editor William deBuys began talking about Phoenix like it was concrete wasteland he should have looked closer to home to see the same dismal results. The city of Phoenix like all metropolises experiences many of the same problems Los Angeles faces today.
The predominance of asphalt and concrete absorbs heat during the day and releases at night preventing the city from cooling down. Los Angeles has faced the same power and energy problems in the summer whenever heat waves hits Southern California, albeit they are nothing compares to Phoenix 100 plus degree weather. While Phoenix has extreme dust storms, Los Angeles pollution is well known and visually disconcerting from a distance.
Water need and water supply is a problem that both cities experience and they both have a history of taking water from a distant place-the Colorado River. The river has been affected by climate change, overuse, and drought and has been dwindling every since multiple states have began using its water. Pretty soon it will not have any water left to give and the cities will probably start looking for other water supplies that will require further divergence and unsustainable methods. The real solution lies at the local scale where water management practices can always be improved back at home.
In addition it becomes interesting to see how Los Angeles has several sources of water and it is still not enough to supply the city.
Sources:
Aqueduct Futures 