Questions Arise as Water Park Plans to Let the Good Times Flow

Water in the West is pretty serious business, with a whiskey’s-fer-drinkin’-water’s-fer-fightin’ bravado that flavors regional water affairs. If this spirited, feisty attitude sets the tone for many water dealings, the deciding factor determining water use is beneficial use. Got water? Use it beneficially — or else.

This raises a question: Is the recreational use of water beneficial? A multi-featured waterpark called Wateryard that is in the works for Mesa is bringing that question to the forefront in a rather lavish manner. The project promises an extravaganza of water recreational activities including surfing, rafting, kayaking, snorkeling, scuba diving and wakeboarding. Water delights and diversions aplenty are offered, but do the benefits derived from such activities justify the use of as much as 100 million gallons of groundwater per year? Or, is it, as some critics contend, an unjustified water indulgence in an arid environment?

Those of us conditioned by the ubiquitous precepts of water conservation — that includes just about everyone living in semi-arid Arizona — might well feel squeamish about these water spectacles. We have been taught that not all water uses are equal, some are of more value than others. How is the recreational use of water to be valued?

Water park proponents are reassuring saying its water use will not exceed that of a golf course. They also offer an enticing dollar-and-sense argument, claiming the park could generate more than $1 billion in revenue and create 7,500 jobs. This argument holds water for many.

Beyond these across-the-board computations, however, proponents might argue another project benefit, one that is difficult to define much less measure and quantify. They might emphasize that water parks are fun. For most of us, whether hydrologist, government official or researcher, our earliest experiences with water taught us that water is fun. We might have learned this simple fact of life when swimming or boating or playing in the rain and jumping puddles.

Is it far-fetched to consider water recreation as continuing this tradition of early water play? Might it then be considered one of the primary uses of water? Is the profligate use of water at desert waterparks an unequivocal offense against water conservation principles or does such a display offer some redeeming recreational benefits, even at a 100-million gallons per year?

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