The July/August edition of The Atlantic ran a cover story called “The Valley” which was reportedly the second-longest article in the magazine’s history. While the article was positioned as a dispatch to America “from the near future,” its true subject was Phoenix, Arizona. The city is framed as a microcosm for the sustainability of the American project: vast opportunity and rapid growth, but underpinned by concerns that the growth is sprawling and perhaps unsustainable. Growing scarcity of water resources is the theme of the article. Is Arizona’s current path sustainable?
As it turns out, the Arizona’s Water Infrastructure Finance Authority (WIFA) is seeking a practical answer to that question. It is turning to the private sector for innovative proposals for new projects that could increase the state’s supply of water.
In November, WIFA kicked off a procurement process for a predevelopment partner for what could eventually be a massive project to augment the state’s water supply. The procurement is not sector or technology specific. It will end with one or more bid teams being selected as a predevelopment partner to bring their proposed project forward in collaboration with WIFA.
