The numbers are so vast, so enticing that they tantalize like a desert oasis. Deep below the surface in Arizona – roughly a quarter mile underground – sit large volumes of water that are less salty than the ocean, but not easily used. At a depth of 1,200 to 1,500 feet, between 530 million and 700 million acre-feet fill this layer statewide. If it were all pumped to the surface and purified, this brackish groundwater would supply Arizona’s water needs for a century or more. Problem is, it can’t all be pumped. Though the numbers are legitimate – and detailed in an updated state assessment that was published in August – the reality for brackish groundwater, at this point, is more of a mirage. Exploiting this resource to satisfy the state’s demand for water in an arid climate is not as simple as drilling wells.

Other groundwater and Arizona article:

• Arizona Republic: Op-Ed: Here’s our plan to get Casa Grande and Coolidge off groundwater