Environment

Many Arizona residents have heard the sales pitch for solar panels: no maintenance required and lower energy bills. However, one Valley company says that's not entirely true - and it's all because of bird poop.

As Arizona officials look at desalination, or the process of creating freshwater by removing salt from saltwater, as a way to solve the state's water crisis, there are also mounting questions over whether such ways to create water can even work for the Grand Canyon State, which has no access to the ocean.

As the megadrought continues, there are a number of solutions being offered to help cities, as well as households, save water. One solution involves reclaiming water from sewage, as well as water used in washing dishes, doing laundry, and bathing.

Water levels on Lake Powell are rising thanks to the heavy snowpack in the Colorado Rockies, and currently, water levels are at 3,525 feet – up three feet compared to last year.

While San Diego is relying on desalination to turn saltwater into freshwater for a portion of its water needs, the city is also looking at treated wastewater as another water source. Officials say education is key on this issue, as some do not find treated wastewater to be a palatable idea.

In America’s hottest big metro, older people accounted for most of the people who died last summer in broiling heat inside their homes, almost all without air conditioning. The heat dangers well known in greater Phoenix are becoming known familiar nationwide.

Worsening drought has focused new attention on the Saudi-owned dairy company and whether Arizona should be doing more to protect its groundwater resources.

After a winter and early spring of low temperatures and seemingly constant rain, one researcher says it has likely lowered the bee population in the state.

The company, Fondomonte Arizona LLC, uses sprinklers to grow alfalfa in La Paz County and exports it to feed dairy cattle in Saudi Arabia. It does not pay for the water it uses.