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Drinking up the desert

Thesis (S.M. in Science Writing)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Humanities, Graduate Program in Science Writing, 2009. / Cataloged from PDF version of thesis. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 43-47). / As one of the fastest-growing cities in America, Tucson, Arizona suffers from a classic case of urban sprawl. Fueled by the prevalence of lot splits and cheap suburban land, little was done to curb the city's unsustainable growth until 1998, when the discovery of endangered pygmy owls in Tucson sparked the creation of the Sonoran Desert Conservation Plan. The plan aims to preserve biodiversity in Tucson and surrounding Pima County by limiting development in biologically sensitive areas of the desert. In addition, Pima County is applying for a county-wide Section 10 Permit from US Fish & Wildlife Service. Water is another limiting factor in the city's growth. When Tucson overdrafted its groundwater resources, the city bought additional water from the Colorado River, which was channeled to Tucson through the Central Arizona Project. Due to infrastructure problems, initial delivery of canal water in 1992 was shut down in 1994. Tucson Water, the city's main water utility, later turned to recharge and recovery as a way to treat river water. Even with the addition of river water, Tucson, like other cities in the American Southwest, continues to search for new water sources for its ever-growing population. / by Lisa Song. / S.M.in Science Writing

Identiferoai:union.ndltd.org:MIT/oai:dspace.mit.edu:1721.1/54573
Date January 2009
CreatorsSong, Lisa
ContributorsPhilip J. Hilts., Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Graduate Program in Science Writing., Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Graduate Program in Science Writing, MIT Program in Writing & Humanistic Studies
PublisherMassachusetts Institute of Technology
Source SetsM.I.T. Theses and Dissertation
LanguageEnglish
Detected LanguageEnglish
TypeThesis
Format47 p., application/pdf
RightsM.I.T. theses are protected by copyright. They may be viewed from this source for any purpose, but reproduction or distribution in any format is prohibited without written permission. See provided URL for inquiries about permission., http://dspace.mit.edu/handle/1721.1/7582

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