Tucson has understood their water issues for years
Tucson relied on groundwater for decades while it grew from a small Mission Town to the second largest city in Arizona. The groundwater table was so depleted they began having sinkholes open up around the city. In the 1960’s the Colorado River was tapped in the Central Arizona Project so that Tucson could have a sustainable(?) source. It took a few years to get there and a billion dollars but we can do almost anything with concrete, steel and money!
Checkout this video about Rainwater Harvesting!
This is what the Tucsonians are up to.
Tucson has a Rainwater Harvesting Manual for the Desert
Read all about the methodologies in this 2006 41 Page Manual.
Click to access 2006WaterHarvesting.pdf
The ASU School of Sustainability recently published this post on Re-using Water!
This is distasteful to some (no pun intended), but reusing greywater and recycled water for human purposes will need to be looked at seriously one day. We may no longer be able to afford using this type of water on golf courses alone!
https://asunews.asu.edu/20130326_water
Better yet they have made a video of the History of Water in Arizona!
As the introduction states, it’s been a major effort going back to the Native American canals to make a living in the Desert. The only way Arizonans can survive is to find innovative ways to supply water to those who live here!
Whiskey is for drinking, Water is for fighting over!
The story of the American West is a story of water, and of our Herculean efforts to capture and spread that water across an arid landscape. As our western cities continue to grow, however, we need to find ways to curb our thirst. In this mini-documentary, ASU researchers talk about the West’s water history, our current situation, and some social and technological options for the future.
Written, produced and edited by Kirk Davis
https://asunews.asu.edu/20130304_watervideo
Sewage Diver – Transformation of Reused Water
Hopefully we don’t get this desperate!
Final Product of Reclaiming Water
Golf Courses use it, City Parks use it…Why not drink it?
Transition Town Payson 
Great video with Brad Lancaster! Nice holistic approach to reducing the impact of stormwater runoff and reducing municipal water use. The Tucson Conservancy has also done some leading edge demonstration work with our company with a larger scale rainwater harvesting system. You can see the case study here: http://wahaso.com/projects/tucson-nature-conservancy-rainwater-harvesting/