Concerns over the Colorado River have led the everyday Arizonan to think about water in ways they haven’t before. As a result, much has been made as of late about growing “thirsty crops” in Arizona’s desert climate. It doesn’t take long to find an opinion or editorial about how farming alfalfa is the embodiment of everything that is wrong with the water system in Arizona, but this rhetoric needs to stop.

Representatives from several groups announced their environmental priorities for the 2023 legislative session, focusing on water and discouraging desalination in the wake of Colorado River cuts.