Tapped

Oct 09 2024 34 ep. 20 mins 31
Tapped Podcast artwork

This is Tapped, a podcast that explores the issues of water in the Southwest, from how we get it, to what it means for those who have it... or those who don't.

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Broken Promises, Contaminated Waters: Uranium mining on the Navajo Nation

Oct 09 2024 31 mins  
An investigation reveals the deadly health toll of uranium mining on Navajo land, where contaminated water and broken promises have left generations fighting for survival.

Uranium Mining in the Grand Canyon Region: Tribal sovereignty vs. nuclear energy in the climate crisis

Oct 02 2024 25 mins  
The costs of uranium mining and nuclear energy on Arizona's tribal nations are often hidden from the broader public. These communities are facing serious threats as their land and water resources become potential casualties in the pursuit of energy. We dive deep into the environmental, cultural, and historical impacts tied to the region's most precious resource—water. Through exp

Nogales: Reviving arroyos and cultivating water resiliency

Sep 26 2024 24 mins  
Scarcity, pollution, flooding, and unchecked urbanization have created water issues in Nogales, Sonora. The city and researchers on both sides of the border are working on innovative ways to remedy.

"This aquifer is our Colorado River": Rural residents struggle when corporate farms drill deep for water

Sep 20 2024 25 mins  
From Governor Katie Hobbs to Attorney General Kris Mayes, Arizona officials grapple with saving rural water supplies.

Never closer and never farther away: The fight over updating Arizona's rural groundwater law

Sep 16 2024 23 mins  
Arizona has no regulations on pumping groundwater in rural areas. The state's governor is trying to modernize its water laws, and the fight over rural groundwater is in the middle of it. So how did the re-introduction of a water policy council that aimed to solve the problem lead to a pair of bills and division amongst its original members?

Hedge funds and foreign farms get water, rural Arizonans get empty wells

Sep 04 2024 22 mins  
Saudi involvement in western Arizona's rural La Paz County is already well known. But they are not the only non-local interest in the area making use of water. Hedge funds, foreign countries, and green energy interests want to turn rural groundwater into dollars, and they have a lot of ideas how to do it.

From Date Palms to Alfalfa: How Arizona became fertile ground for Saudi farms

Aug 28 2024 24 mins  
The history of Arizona's relationship with Saudi Arabia and the Arabian peninsula starts with a pre-Civil-War military program involving camels run by Jefferson Davis. It went on to involve the state's first college professor, an attempt to launch a new cash crop that became a common tree in the state, and much more. All of that lead to the most recent chapter, when monarchs began

Two Rivers, One Lifeline: Reclaiming the Santa Cruz across borders

Aug 14 2024 19 mins  
US-Mexico collaboration has improved the once polluted and depleted Santa Cruz River. Challenges like flooding and wastewater management persist, requiring new infrastructure and funding. Despite progress, managing water across borders remains ongoing.

A Crisis Fraught with Possibility: How a massive canal set Arizona up for growth

Aug 07 2024 22 mins  
In the 1960s, Arizona was facing a crisis. Its aquifers were depleting and its ground was sinking. That issue prompted a major infrastructure project that would forever change what was possible in the state, a 336 mile system of canals that take a big part of the state's Colorado River water allocation and diverts it to Phoenix and Tucson, as well as farmland in Central Arizona. Th

Toxic Waters: EPA and military clash over Tucson's groundwater cleanup

Jul 31 2024 32 mins  
An Arizona mother's loss turned into a national movement to make drinking water safe. Forever chemicals, including PFAS, are tied to cancer and other health problems. Now the race is on to clean up Tucson's water and protect public health.