Why the Hell Does Phoenix Actually Exist
video description
1. Metro-Phoenix uses the same amount of water today, that it did in the 1950s when almost every property was agricultural.
2. Fully built out cities like Tempe, Chandler and Gilbert have rising water tables because the once AG land is now residential, meaning it uses about 1/3 of the water that farming did. With that evidence, we can assume water tables will continue to rise as metro Phx grows and turns Ag land into residential/commercial.
3. Private developable land in AZ is only 13% of all land in the state, so we can at a very basic level assume that the water is not the limiting factor in development but land is the limiting factor.
4. The governor and her water council released a flawed model of water usage over the next 100 years. This model that the governor used to base her claims, had wells at the base of mountains and the model also turned the population to max on day 1 of the 100 year model. The result of this study was a 4% deficiency in water supply over the entire metropolitan area over the next 100 years. Instead of looking for a water solution, she shut down all future development over a 4% deficiency. The real problem is that no developer has ever put a well at the base of a mountain, wells go in valleys on top of the underground aquifers. Every well in her study that went dry was drilled into bedrock(mountain. The study also assumed 1 million people would live in a region where only 5000 people live today. That could be an accurate assumption of future population, but she based her study off the premise that 1M people were there today, and that is not at all true.
I am pretty involved with water in AZ. I am working with legislators, city managers, mayors, developers, hydrologists, farmers, home builders etc to find solutions, so I do have a decent handle on the situation. I am happy to have a healthy conversation with anyone who disagrees with me, but you should know the above 4 facts are truly fact. Thanks for reading. I’d like to note, this video took some serious research and it was very well done.
Date: 2024-02-29
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Comments and reviews: 19
monsterfrisbee8809
The gem of the desert had its secret blown in the 80’s like the video describes. The summers are a little warm in the valley, but your body was made to sustain heat with sweat. And swamp coolers work wonders due to the absolute dryness of the air. And of course the winters are amazing.
Since 2020 political refugees from less desirable locales in the U. S. have been seeking shelter in AZ en masse for many reasons; cheaper living and legal laxity being chief among them. As all states recover from the governmental ineptitude of the pandemic response and general inflation the sustained ingress of hundreds of thousands of people puts incredible stress on our local economies in many sectors. It’s nice to see Real Life Lore pointing out our cleverness and tenacity with solving complex problems like natural resource management, and I think we can make it thru these hard times. Like the mythical bird in which the city takes its namesake, we have the opportunity to continue to reinvent and improve on history and tradition.
Fun facts: Also AZ used to have something like 4 of the 5 five-star resorts in the entire US. It is the home of the Grand Canyon, monument valley, ludicrous haboobs, many superstitious tales like the Lost Dutchman’s gold, several man made lakes (with the highest boat ownership per capita, the place of so many old west tales like the gunfight at O. K. Corall, the Petrified Forest and 20 more national parks, and last but not least so many more iconic historical native remnants histories and traditions to numerous to list. And believe it or not 2 ski resorts.
Greetings from Chandler!
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The gem of the desert had its secret blown in the 80’s like the video describes. The summers are a little warm in the valley, but your body was made to sustain heat with sweat. And swamp coolers work wonders due to the absolute dryness of the air. And of course the winters are amazing.
Since 2020 political refugees from less desirable locales in the U. S. have been seeking shelter in AZ en masse for many reasons; cheaper living and legal laxity being chief among them. As all states recover from the governmental ineptitude of the pandemic response and general inflation the sustained ingress of hundreds of thousands of people puts incredible stress on our local economies in many sectors. It’s nice to see Real Life Lore pointing out our cleverness and tenacity with solving complex problems like natural resource management, and I think we can make it thru these hard times. Like the mythical bird in which the city takes its namesake, we have the opportunity to continue to reinvent and improve on history and tradition.
Fun facts: Also AZ used to have something like 4 of the 5 five-star resorts in the entire US. It is the home of the Grand Canyon, monument valley, ludicrous haboobs, many superstitious tales like the Lost Dutchman’s gold, several man made lakes (with the highest boat ownership per capita, the place of so many old west tales like the gunfight at O. K. Corall, the Petrified Forest and 20 more national parks, and last but not least so many more iconic historical native remnants histories and traditions to numerous to list. And believe it or not 2 ski resorts.
Greetings from Chandler!
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welshlout3400
Man, this city planning gig has become too easy.
That’s kind of a good thing right
I want a challenge!
That’s an awfully irresponsible
attitude for a city planner to h-
I wanna try to put a major metropolitan centre in the middle of a hot and arid wasteland!
Really Just for the challenge of it
I’m not that selfish! It’s for the good of the country too!
How
Prestige! It shall be known internationally that the USA is the only nation with the cajoles to truly master every kind of environment on Earth!
Is it that important we prove we can do that
Look, I really need for there to be a big desert city in this country so I can live out my retirement dream of LARPing a big, dumb and generic fantasy adventure in a big, dumb and generic fantasy settingwithout any potential need to leave our borders to do so! America, all its own, has the potential to have an entire world’s breadth of possibilities, AND I SAY WE SHOULD MAKE IT SO! And I say that’s what every God-fearing American would want too!
And for that we need a big desert c-
A big desert city, yes!
Fair enough. Murica!
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Man, this city planning gig has become too easy.
That’s kind of a good thing right
I want a challenge!
That’s an awfully irresponsible
attitude for a city planner to h-
I wanna try to put a major metropolitan centre in the middle of a hot and arid wasteland!
Really Just for the challenge of it
I’m not that selfish! It’s for the good of the country too!
How
Prestige! It shall be known internationally that the USA is the only nation with the cajoles to truly master every kind of environment on Earth!
Is it that important we prove we can do that
Look, I really need for there to be a big desert city in this country so I can live out my retirement dream of LARPing a big, dumb and generic fantasy adventure in a big, dumb and generic fantasy settingwithout any potential need to leave our borders to do so! America, all its own, has the potential to have an entire world’s breadth of possibilities, AND I SAY WE SHOULD MAKE IT SO! And I say that’s what every God-fearing American would want too!
And for that we need a big desert c-
A big desert city, yes!
Fair enough. Murica!
reply
ellenbryn
i'm glad Phoenix does at least recycle water for industry, but I hope it takes notes from southern California.
- Irvine and areas that use its water provides recycled water not just for industry, landscaping and golf courses, but for AGRICULTURE irrigation.
-Los Angeles' reservoir is shielded from evaporation, algae growth, and bird poop contamination with a cover of food grade milk carton plastic balls (keeping it clean means less water/chemicals needed for treatment)
- A lot of California agriculture has switched to underground drip systems, with all water provided directly to roots, instead of sprayed out on the surface where it can evaporate or run off.
-There's a pilot program to screen the California aqueduct with solar panels to prevent evaporation.
- Catchment basins to trap storm water during the monsoons! This seems obvious, but it's harder than it sounds to filter out all the mud, debris, boulders, and most of all the trash and chemical/biological runoff of human landscapes without using more water than is captured
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i'm glad Phoenix does at least recycle water for industry, but I hope it takes notes from southern California.
- Irvine and areas that use its water provides recycled water not just for industry, landscaping and golf courses, but for AGRICULTURE irrigation.
-Los Angeles' reservoir is shielded from evaporation, algae growth, and bird poop contamination with a cover of food grade milk carton plastic balls (keeping it clean means less water/chemicals needed for treatment)
- A lot of California agriculture has switched to underground drip systems, with all water provided directly to roots, instead of sprayed out on the surface where it can evaporate or run off.
-There's a pilot program to screen the California aqueduct with solar panels to prevent evaporation.
- Catchment basins to trap storm water during the monsoons! This seems obvious, but it's harder than it sounds to filter out all the mud, debris, boulders, and most of all the trash and chemical/biological runoff of human landscapes without using more water than is captured
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FreewayBrent
I can understand why Phoenix has its appeal for some people, but you could not pay me enough money to reside there full time. There's uncomfortably hot (which is the type of heat I've experienced during the hottest days in the Bay Area or LA, and then there's unbearably, intolerably hot, which is Phoenix. The summer months (really from May all the way to October) are a deal-breaker for me. At least on the plus side, you can drive an hour north where the temperatures will drop by 10-30 degrees. Flagstaff and Sedona, perhaps even Prescott are nice diversions, and the pine forests 1-2 hours north of the city make for some great hiking opportunities.
Seattle is much more expensive, but the summer temps here are almost perfect (usually sunny and without any rain for weeks at a time) and the winters here are still tolerable (usually 40-55 degrees every day, once you get acclimated to the skies being overcast about 90% of the time from November-March.
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I can understand why Phoenix has its appeal for some people, but you could not pay me enough money to reside there full time. There's uncomfortably hot (which is the type of heat I've experienced during the hottest days in the Bay Area or LA, and then there's unbearably, intolerably hot, which is Phoenix. The summer months (really from May all the way to October) are a deal-breaker for me. At least on the plus side, you can drive an hour north where the temperatures will drop by 10-30 degrees. Flagstaff and Sedona, perhaps even Prescott are nice diversions, and the pine forests 1-2 hours north of the city make for some great hiking opportunities.
Seattle is much more expensive, but the summer temps here are almost perfect (usually sunny and without any rain for weeks at a time) and the winters here are still tolerable (usually 40-55 degrees every day, once you get acclimated to the skies being overcast about 90% of the time from November-March.
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DomRiccobene
19: 45 I live in Albuquerque. I always tell people it’s kind of like living on an island without the water. Abq’s growth is also constrained by tribal lands. If you look at a map, you’ll see they are to the north, west, and south of the metro area with the Sandia Mountains to the east. We are also in a rain shadow due to the mountains which reduces our water input further. Also to the south is federal land belonging to the air force base and national lab (where we store a good majority of our nuclear arsenal. On top of that, we aren’t aloud to catch the little rain we do get because Texas has a claim to the rainfall since they are downriver. Which is also from an antiquated water rights agreement. It’s an interesting history. Would be a good video topic.
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19: 45 I live in Albuquerque. I always tell people it’s kind of like living on an island without the water. Abq’s growth is also constrained by tribal lands. If you look at a map, you’ll see they are to the north, west, and south of the metro area with the Sandia Mountains to the east. We are also in a rain shadow due to the mountains which reduces our water input further. Also to the south is federal land belonging to the air force base and national lab (where we store a good majority of our nuclear arsenal. On top of that, we aren’t aloud to catch the little rain we do get because Texas has a claim to the rainfall since they are downriver. Which is also from an antiquated water rights agreement. It’s an interesting history. Would be a good video topic.
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SqurtieMan
Being a lifelong resident, I have some early video corrections:
2: 42 and 4: 10 The labels for Gila River and Salt River are reversed.
3: 47 113F was not the all time high before 2023. While it may have been the record for that day, the highest recorded temperature in the city was 122F (50C) in June 1990.
4: 18 Not a correction, but should be noted that the halt in outward expansion in the North and West Valley was by order of the Governor, as most of that area does not fall under Phoenix's jurisdiction.
5: 27 I personally wouldn't say sparsely here, the Hohokam's canal system was apparently robust and there's evidence they were the largest civilization in the southwest for some time.
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Being a lifelong resident, I have some early video corrections:
2: 42 and 4: 10 The labels for Gila River and Salt River are reversed.
3: 47 113F was not the all time high before 2023. While it may have been the record for that day, the highest recorded temperature in the city was 122F (50C) in June 1990.
4: 18 Not a correction, but should be noted that the halt in outward expansion in the North and West Valley was by order of the Governor, as most of that area does not fall under Phoenix's jurisdiction.
5: 27 I personally wouldn't say sparsely here, the Hohokam's canal system was apparently robust and there's evidence they were the largest civilization in the southwest for some time.
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williamhardes8081
what a mystery. No shit Dr Watson! over population, artificial canals, over 20 golf courses, almost sub tropical crops, etc. i live in Australia, we know how to save water. no choice in the matter. we don't have high enough mountains to get enough snow melts to top up the rivers very spring. most of Aus relies on what little rainfall happens in our catchment areas. i water my lawns and garden with my washing machine water, only water at night. i also use a rain tank water to flush the toilet. if i have water in the tank. it's the little things that can help. BTW. acre feet heard of real units lol.
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what a mystery. No shit Dr Watson! over population, artificial canals, over 20 golf courses, almost sub tropical crops, etc. i live in Australia, we know how to save water. no choice in the matter. we don't have high enough mountains to get enough snow melts to top up the rivers very spring. most of Aus relies on what little rainfall happens in our catchment areas. i water my lawns and garden with my washing machine water, only water at night. i also use a rain tank water to flush the toilet. if i have water in the tank. it's the little things that can help. BTW. acre feet heard of real units lol.
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istvansipos9940
sad. Luckily though, this is happening in a powerful country. If Phoenix is too big to fail and IF it physically possible to save it, some tons of money will help with the engineering part. F. e. Difficult and thus crazy expensive desalination of sea water pumped from far away.
and IF Phoenix is not woth it, then it fails. Then the money will be spent on moving all the assets outa there. Voters, companies, kids (future tax payers, etc.
this would be a disaster in many other countries.
in the U. S, it will be a cost-benefit analysis, then an epic move or (IF possible) a few mega projects
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sad. Luckily though, this is happening in a powerful country. If Phoenix is too big to fail and IF it physically possible to save it, some tons of money will help with the engineering part. F. e. Difficult and thus crazy expensive desalination of sea water pumped from far away.
and IF Phoenix is not woth it, then it fails. Then the money will be spent on moving all the assets outa there. Voters, companies, kids (future tax payers, etc.
this would be a disaster in many other countries.
in the U. S, it will be a cost-benefit analysis, then an epic move or (IF possible) a few mega projects
reply
PlaneShaper2
Fun fact: Occasionally, flights at Phoenix's airport get weather delays and cancellations. Not because of blizzards or normal things like that. But because sometimes it gets _too hot_ to fly.
You mention the hottest single day record in Phoenix as being 113, set last year, but that was only for that particular day. 2023 set several record highs for particular days, and a few other heat records, too; however, the all-time recorded high is 122 Fahrenheit in 1990.
It's routinely hotter than 113 every year on various days in the summer: )
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Fun fact: Occasionally, flights at Phoenix's airport get weather delays and cancellations. Not because of blizzards or normal things like that. But because sometimes it gets _too hot_ to fly.
You mention the hottest single day record in Phoenix as being 113, set last year, but that was only for that particular day. 2023 set several record highs for particular days, and a few other heat records, too; however, the all-time recorded high is 122 Fahrenheit in 1990.
It's routinely hotter than 113 every year on various days in the summer: )
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MasterMarcon
Carl Hayden was a senator from Arizona who was largely known to be the guy who shepherded infrastructure projects for senators from many states towards passing. The Central Arizona Project was the infrastructure project he wanted that he asked for the other senators to support. Without it, Phoenix could not have existed, as it is the canal that diverts water from the Colorado River into central arizona. You can see it on satellite maps, a narrow blue strip going across the desert
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Carl Hayden was a senator from Arizona who was largely known to be the guy who shepherded infrastructure projects for senators from many states towards passing. The Central Arizona Project was the infrastructure project he wanted that he asked for the other senators to support. Without it, Phoenix could not have existed, as it is the canal that diverts water from the Colorado River into central arizona. You can see it on satellite maps, a narrow blue strip going across the desert
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gabeghiby6935
So the Saudi Arabia LEASED the arable land not PURCHASED. why are you exaggerating. I have high expectations from you to know the difference.
I lived in Phoenix during the plandemic simply due to a job assignment. I left in 2023 because even with the AC and all I couldn't stand the summer heat. yes there is AC but that's electricity and ultimately money spent. I've seen over $3 Mill grandiose mansions with the AC off during summer time. ask yourself why.
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So the Saudi Arabia LEASED the arable land not PURCHASED. why are you exaggerating. I have high expectations from you to know the difference.
I lived in Phoenix during the plandemic simply due to a job assignment. I left in 2023 because even with the AC and all I couldn't stand the summer heat. yes there is AC but that's electricity and ultimately money spent. I've seen over $3 Mill grandiose mansions with the AC off during summer time. ask yourself why.
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Jake12220
Please stop perpetuating the myth that the brine from this type of desalination plant is environmentally damaging. The water from these ocean water treatment plants is not super saline! The mildly higher salt levels in the water released is not only not harmful, but is preferred by many species of aquatic life. The only environmentally harmful desalination plants are those refining ground water that need to let super saline water evaporate in salt pools.
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Please stop perpetuating the myth that the brine from this type of desalination plant is environmentally damaging. The water from these ocean water treatment plants is not super saline! The mildly higher salt levels in the water released is not only not harmful, but is preferred by many species of aquatic life. The only environmentally harmful desalination plants are those refining ground water that need to let super saline water evaporate in salt pools.
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cjaskie
As a native Phoenician, whose relatives have lived here since the 1920's, I think I can answer as well as anyone. Much of our country has very difficult winters and humid summers (ick. Phoenix has very difficult summers (unless you spend a lot of time in the pool) and glorious winters. It is also a short drive to beautiful wild desert mountains and lovely cool forests. I don't see the problem, but of course, the weather is wonderful right now!
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As a native Phoenician, whose relatives have lived here since the 1920's, I think I can answer as well as anyone. Much of our country has very difficult winters and humid summers (ick. Phoenix has very difficult summers (unless you spend a lot of time in the pool) and glorious winters. It is also a short drive to beautiful wild desert mountains and lovely cool forests. I don't see the problem, but of course, the weather is wonderful right now!
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makiarizona
If I could give advice to the people who do Phoenix’s city planning, it would be stop building out and start building up. Urban sprawl is the number one culprit for the heat island effect, and being in the desert, only makes the heat even more unbearable.
Also Phoenix you can literally walk out at 7 am and it’d be 90 degrees. Not because it got to 90 degrees that fast, but because it’s STILL 90 degrees from LAST NIGHT.
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If I could give advice to the people who do Phoenix’s city planning, it would be stop building out and start building up. Urban sprawl is the number one culprit for the heat island effect, and being in the desert, only makes the heat even more unbearable.
Also Phoenix you can literally walk out at 7 am and it’d be 90 degrees. Not because it got to 90 degrees that fast, but because it’s STILL 90 degrees from LAST NIGHT.
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reallifelore
I would also assume that alot of ex-Californians are moving to Arizona, which is an unfortunate curse that Arizona has to deal with. Same thing with Nevada as well, along with their bustling gambling economy of course. It's funny how Nevada, Arizona and Texas all have alot more favorable economic situations, so all the Californians move to those three states and bring their issues to those states.
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I would also assume that alot of ex-Californians are moving to Arizona, which is an unfortunate curse that Arizona has to deal with. Same thing with Nevada as well, along with their bustling gambling economy of course. It's funny how Nevada, Arizona and Texas all have alot more favorable economic situations, so all the Californians move to those three states and bring their issues to those states.
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WhatWillYouFind
Humanity will reach a point where innovation and hubris will fail as Mother Earth engulfs it in catastrophe. Hundreds of millions will be left homeless, as vast swaths of land will be uninhabitable even with our modern technology due to costs. World Wars will erupt, humanity will devolve even further as their own just end meets them, wanton lust for endless consumption will be its' undoing.
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Humanity will reach a point where innovation and hubris will fail as Mother Earth engulfs it in catastrophe. Hundreds of millions will be left homeless, as vast swaths of land will be uninhabitable even with our modern technology due to costs. World Wars will erupt, humanity will devolve even further as their own just end meets them, wanton lust for endless consumption will be its' undoing.
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richdobbs6595
My one visit to Arizona was in April. It was quite pleasant, and the desert was beautiful with Ocotillo blooming. I found a 4 day training course to go to that was offered at various locations in the US. I managed to convince my boss at Dow Chemical to pay for a week long rental car in order to save on the flight by flying Saturday to Saturday. One of my best vacations ever.
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My one visit to Arizona was in April. It was quite pleasant, and the desert was beautiful with Ocotillo blooming. I found a 4 day training course to go to that was offered at various locations in the US. I managed to convince my boss at Dow Chemical to pay for a week long rental car in order to save on the flight by flying Saturday to Saturday. One of my best vacations ever.
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gosnooky
Small map error at 11: 14 - the South Platte and Arkansas rivers are highlighted as part of the Colorado river basin, but these rivers both are in watersheds east of the continental divide. Plus, it appears like the Arkansas and Roaring Fork rivers are connected, but their sources are on opposite sides of the Sawatch mountain range between Lake and Pitkin counties in Colorado.
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Small map error at 11: 14 - the South Platte and Arkansas rivers are highlighted as part of the Colorado river basin, but these rivers both are in watersheds east of the continental divide. Plus, it appears like the Arkansas and Roaring Fork rivers are connected, but their sources are on opposite sides of the Sawatch mountain range between Lake and Pitkin counties in Colorado.
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bertdemeulemeester
It hasn't rained for almost three years in Catalunya. They are having a hard time tackling the problem and Europeans are faaaar better at tackling issues concerning corrupt politicians who prefer lining their pockets instead of working towards a solution. I don't see things go well in the southwest. We'll need a lot better waterworks than what is planned now tbh.
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It hasn't rained for almost three years in Catalunya. They are having a hard time tackling the problem and Europeans are faaaar better at tackling issues concerning corrupt politicians who prefer lining their pockets instead of working towards a solution. I don't see things go well in the southwest. We'll need a lot better waterworks than what is planned now tbh.
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