Phoenix provides water to a new chipmaker. Any cause for worry?
… The Arizona [semiconductor manufacturing] facility is being built to mimic its “mother fab” in Taiwan, where TSMC has already invested heavily in water reuse at its existing fabs. Company officials say the new facility in Arizona aims to be as efficient as possible. With blueprints in hand, [Greg] Jackson’s job is to make that statement a physical reality. … TSMC says its reuse and recycling efforts will make its water use manageable and even small compared with other Arizona water uses. Phoenix doesn’t expect it to strain city resources. At the same time, other growth stemming from TSMC’s arrival, uncertainty around the region’s Colorado River supplies, and additional environmental concerns related to semiconductor manufacturing generally could create more troubling questions for the Phoenix community.