The Central Arizona Project is second largest and expansive aqueduct system in the entire United States. It moves more than 1.5 million acre feet of water annually which is only half of its capacity. This engineering marvel is truly incredible that supports millions of people in the state as well as well as millions of people around the United States that are in need of crops year-round. The Southwest is one of the fastest growing regions in the country. With climate change affecting yearly temperatures and water needs in this region increasing, infrastructure of the Central Arizona Project needs to be retrofitted with new technologies to combat against the water loss that comes from evaporation due to the open aired canal. This study was designed to look at three different technologies with the capability of covering the Central Arizona Project canal and reduce the amount of water that is lost annually.

The purpose of this study was to determine attitudes of Verde Valley residents toward the presence of National Park Service (NPS) units in the area. The study area is largely undeveloped rural land which includes a perennial riparian expanse along the Verde River in central Arizona. Three National Park Service units protect significant local archaeological relics. The general public and local land use decision makers were polled, using random mail surveys and telephone interviews, to determine local values toward economic, visual, cultural, historic and natural resource issues. Responses from each group were compiled and compared for similarities and significant divergence. Results indicate this is a fairly satisfied community which highly values local natural and scenic resources but values the cultural/historic resources to a lesser degree. Results also indicate a lack of association between the relationship of the Verde River and other natural resources with the presence of NPS units.

As the popularity of golf grew in the 1990’s and real estate along golf courses brought in high property values, the building of golf courses in the Southwest boomed. However, supply of golf courses outgrew the demand (Downey, 2011). The National Golf Foundation predicts that 500-1,000 golf courses nationwide will close within the next 5 years (Schmidt, 2010). Cities and developers are facing a new problem: What to do with these defunct golf courses? These troubled golf courses provide opportunities for redesigning communities in order to make them more sustainable and resilient while preserving and enhancing much needed open space in urban areas. This project explores the redesign of a struggling golf course community in order to accommodate a larger variety of users. The design also rehabilitates the system of urban washes on site to functional ephemeral riparian areas that support wildlife habitat and provide amenities. Much of the disturbed areas covered with turf will be revegetated to resemble a more desert-like, native ecosystem. Furthermore, the design incorporates green infrastructure strategies to reduce and reuse water within the community and enhance the important riparian area along Tanque Verde wash. Methods for investigation included case reviews of existing associated projects. The design provides a conceptual framework for which this golf course or similar golf course repurposing projects may look in reference for viable ideas.