Gov. Doug Ducey outlined a plan last week for finding new water sources to help secure Arizona’s future.
Right now that search raises a number of questions, from who bears the costs to how quickly the state can develop new technology.
Ducey’s pitch for desalination made headlines in January, but the governor’s proposal jibes with what water experts have said all along: Arizona needs to pursue all options, from conservation to new technology.
They also say that desalination is worth pursuing, but expensive.
The state is in the worst drought in recorded history, with no end in sight.
House Speaker Rusty Bowers says lawmakers should act quickly.
"What are we going to do?" Bowers said. "Because if we don’t do it quick, then people actually will be fleeing this valley. They’ll be packing it up and leaving. What do you do when you run out of that ditch?"
The Legislature will take up Ducey’s plan this week.
Bowers said the proposal is vague at this point in order to keep all options open, and that he welcomes feedback.
