[{"_1":2,"_99":-5,"_100":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,76,88],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},"mediaId",6164770,"mediaKeyId","5427091-62049c056fc195159f279219c213da60","parentId",5427091,"title","Phoenix training explains water cycle, drought vs. shortage, and city’s Stage 1 alert and education efforts","audioSeconds",349,"startMs",524000,"endMs",873000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=5427091-62049c056fc195159f279219c213da60&start=524&end=873","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5427091-62049c056fc195159f279219c213da60/thumbnail_524000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6164770/Arizona/Phoenix-training-explains-water-cycle-drought-vs-shortage-and-citys-Stage-1-alert-and-education-efforts","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6164770-152730b726b8a40e83c90c321e39e74a/orig.mp4?Expires=1771155239&Signature=eG44yhwvAsFqkPamB6uRnYHS2x6OiFGbHhQ0Y1mgmEPi9Rl3DaN~aEIBKzzkie4RTDFfuycVAnF3lqAfrZs9JizqVvGG98skamK-u~41eiGq7aGp~78fPh6PYYKVP9vU~y00FaxS~2vcwIFjJQso0sBfeKw9n5CZu1fDyqtupi1f6dav9~Slco2AzHpPbnuotdHz~lzW4nMgpwYlnTZ6Je~5swYvCY-ZtVIo2AEBMWW3Zz3Q~YAQ6T5ORvVIrC1ihrZTYrchbbU1QfJmXr-1yewPJ7001e2ikMOBVz-qc2fSKs241vVOktUei-WOHf8RT~BkhYHHfXcwzK7FLMtcWw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","City of Phoenix, AZ","date","2025-07-18T17:31:34Z","article","Lara Van Lyth, volunteer coordinator and water resource specialist for the City of Phoenix Water Services Department, used Lesson 1 to review the water cycle and explain drought, shortage and the city’s response.

Van Lyth described the water cycle as a complex system that includes evaporation, condensation, precipitation, runoff and infiltration; she used examples such as snowpack melt, rivers, reservoirs and groundwater recharge to explain how water moves through landscapes and cities.

She defined drought and shortage clearly: \"A drought is defined as an extended period of below average precipitation. Drought is purely abiotic, meaning it's driven by non living conditions, like weather, time, or the natural cycles of our environment,\" Van Lyth said. \"Shortages, however, are both biotic and abiotic. A shortage occurs when the demand for water is greater than the current supply, And our current shortage is caused by humans and environmental factors.\"

Van Lyth told trainees that the region is experiencing one of the driest periods in more than 1,200 years and that lower Colorado River flows and inter-state allocation negotiations are reducing Phoenix’s expected Colorado River deliveries. She said the city has declared a Stage 1 water alert and created a drought management plan; the Stage 1 declaration prompted an intensive public-education program to promote voluntary conservation.

The training framed the \"desert mindset\" as a constructive public message: using water efficiently while planning ahead and avoiding panic. Van Lyth said the desert mindset is not about scarcity or blame but about adopting practices that respect water as a limited resource.

Trainees were advised to communicate the distinction between natural drought cycles and human-driven shortages, to use departmental resources for technical follow-up, and to encourage voluntary conservation under the city’s drought-management guidance.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Water Wrangler Volunteer Training Lesson 1: Water 101","oneSentenceSummary","Lesson 1 of the Phoenix Water Wrangler training described the water cycle basics, how drought is measured, the distinction between drought and water shortage, and the City of Phoenix's Stage 1 water alert and drought management outreach.","taxTitle","Events, Phoenix, Maricopa County, Arizona","taxId",80566,"location","Arizona","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":77,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":78,"_41":79,"_43":80,"_45":81,"_47":82,"_49":83,"_51":84,"_53":85,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":86,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":87,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6164775,"Phoenix relies on Colorado, Salt and Verde rivers and limited groundwater for drinking water",207,272000,479000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5427091-62049c056fc195159f279219c213da60&start=272&end=479","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5427091-62049c056fc195159f279219c213da60/thumbnail_272000.jpg","/articles/6164775/Arizona/Phoenix-relies-on-Colorado-Salt-and-Verde-rivers-and-limited-groundwater-for-drinking-water","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6164775-eb11a7d273286b4a9f4c1be235d0dcb3/orig.mp4?Expires=1771155239&Signature=dU3tO9TBY~tzedOJ-9~3-Rx1mMd7puZ2gMQuYBS-eF~kL7fv~VGAQhSXtjBpQYSythZAHKD0ZBikMAkw0v74Lm3oMCIt1jhTFfYLqlRB609TGCuSVkQUmo7pN9VAJpPluEX~-pJG23Wuij30~hu3H5VzKaU3I05mHGembQCbRdnPy3lU4ukUjqzjCpn87EuQghNOw-oAzkxKJpchdYWdKNK6ZY6XfZf~9V6xYAlPTVchakznB~AivAM3CaRbLWafOvXon44ltKR6l9tvOp87C9LLMe1uN~NShhX-oKRQhoRV5nbC9dWLRwUfvCOcP9Fcc-LVgbq8SxbXZnVdTy8Auw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Lara Van Lyth, volunteer coordinator and water resource specialist for the City of Phoenix Water Services Department, told trainees that Phoenix’s treated drinking water comes from four main sources: the Colorado River, the Salt River, the Verde River and groundwater.

\"You can see that we only use 2% of our deliveries from groundwater and the remaining 98% of our deliveries are coming from surface water,\" Van Lyth said, describing city practice to use groundwater sparingly because recharge is slow.

Van Lyth also said the Colorado River Basin is a regional supply shared across states and nations and that \"40% of our drinking water comes from this source.\" She explained the basin serves seven U.S. states, roughly 30 Indigenous communities and both the United States and Mexico, and supplies water to more than 40,000,000 people.

The training included a geographic overview: the Salt and Verde rivers and local canals feed surface supplies that are treated and distributed, while groundwater functions as a limited reserve. Van Lyth noted the Gila River does not provide Phoenix’s drinking water; runoff from Phoenix ultimately flows into the Gila and then back into the Colorado River system downstream.

The session emphasized watersheds as the landscape units that collect precipitation and route water to rivers, reservoirs, and canals used by cities. Trainees were encouraged to explain these source distinctions when conducting outreach and to use department resources for technical questions.","In Lesson 1 of the Phoenix Water Wrangler training, City of Phoenix staff outlined that Phoenix’s drinking water is supplied primarily from surface sources—Colorado River Basin, Salt and Verde rivers—and that groundwater comprises roughly 2% of deliveries.",{"_33":89,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":90,"_41":91,"_43":92,"_45":80,"_47":93,"_49":94,"_51":95,"_53":96,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":97,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":98,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6164780,"City of Phoenix outlines roles and limits for Water Wrangler volunteers in Lesson 1 training",243,29000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5427091-62049c056fc195159f279219c213da60&start=29&end=272","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5427091-62049c056fc195159f279219c213da60/thumbnail_29000.jpg","/articles/6164780/Arizona/City-of-Phoenix-outlines-roles-and-limits-for-Water-Wrangler-volunteers-in-Lesson-1-training","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6164780-ef3091df829bfe3e73be0634dafdbd5e/orig.mp4?Expires=1771155239&Signature=Qvo8clVCATXmtaMY3RXY-F1Rx6ezDjxmjvm~PDpNPDfBAfuCciq1F1ZCfBuauof0WXXqrm4dlv-qLVRymTMJi6hAv-oTBd2StoMojFCw34kp6yJBasQpsi5FtJGqj58mJ11XSjCG3IiuMiRmDLh8M4~ZfjnvWPn84VglkZaJBds87LPCvZrXNcsZEH0Kd3SZ7CaYh8RPYbTC8RySqU5djP6tZqYQmkSH2rWC29TslyCeMRrniQAJCci79uEVpqVenWarQqyvo086AeY14VeM4-gC4Rn0lmh4-fziyqXAQpmKc8ezcH1kqJLTT~gdlqS4DJcHYw~YQA~PwD9I3IpwPg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Lara Van Lyth, volunteer coordinator and water resource specialist for the City of Phoenix Water Services Department, opened Lesson 1 of the Phoenix Water Wrangler volunteer training with an overview of the program’s purpose and volunteer responsibilities. The training introduces volunteers to Phoenix water systems, outreach practices, and the department’s expectations for accuracy and safety.

The session explained why the program matters: Water Wranglers act as community representatives who can build trust, lower barriers to conservation information and encourage voluntary water-saving actions. \"Wranglers function as community representatives for the City of Phoenix and sometimes act as change makers for water conservation topics,\" Van Lyth said.

Van Lyth outlined operational limits and conduct rules for volunteers. Wranglers are volunteers, not City of Phoenix employees; they are \"not expected to be a water expert,\" and they are encouraged to tell members of the public when they do not know an answer. The training stresses transparency, accuracy and equity and directs volunteers to refer technical or unresolved questions to department staff.

The training also covered volunteer logistics: participation is optional, volunteers can sign up for events when available, and they may decline to speak with anyone who makes them uncomfortable. Van Lyth said staff will support volunteers by providing correct answers when needed.

The session signaled practical outreach roles: communicating with citizens, demonstrating conservation measures, sharing resources, and encouraging community members to adopt water-saving practices. Van Lyth encouraged volunteers to use department resources, including phoenix.gov/savewater, and to contact her by email with questions.

Lesson 1 concluded by previewing the next training module, which will cover water conservation topics in greater detail and practical outreach exercises for volunteers.","In Lesson 1 of the Phoenix Water Wrangler volunteer training, Lara Van Lyth of the City of Phoenix Water Services Department described the program’s purpose, volunteer responsibilities, safety and accuracy expectations, and how volunteers fit into the city’s broader conservation outreach.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Phoenix training explains water cycle, drought vs. shortage, and city’s Stage 1 alert and education efforts

Phoenix relies on Colorado, Salt and Verde rivers and limited groundwater for drinking water

City of Phoenix outlines roles and limits for Water Wrangler volunteers in Lesson 1 training