The role of the public and private sectors in water provision in Arizona, USA

Abstract

Sustainable water management is a critical concern in the semi-arid portions of the American Southwest. This paper explains the decentralized approach to water supply management in this region, including the traditional roles of the public and private sectors. With Arizona as a focus, it explores how the water supply challenges of the twenty-first century require new approaches and partnerships for funding infrastructure, obtaining new water supplies, water banking, and water treatment.

Keywords:

• private water companies
• public sector
• decentralization
• pricing
• regulation
• Arizona

Acknowledgements

The author thanks graduate research assistants Valerie Kristine Herman and Jorge Lara Alvarez for editorial review and the University of Arizona Technology and Research Initiative Fund's Water Sustainability Program for funding. The author is fully responsible for the material presented; all views expressed are the author's alone and do not represent those of the University of Arizona or any organization mentioned in the paper.

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