Arizonans Support Dedicated Funding for Water Resilience and Conservation Projects and Want Colorado River Basin States to Develop Collaborative Solutions for Water Shortages

WASHINGTON, June 23, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- A poll released today by Morning Consult on behalf of the Walton Family Foundation shows that future water supplies from groundwater and the Colorado River are a top concern and that Arizonans want to see dedicated funding for water resilience and conservation projects. As Colorado River Basin states negotiate future water allocations, Arizonans overwhelmingly believe that real solutions to Colorado River water shortages are possible through collaborative agreements between states, rather than lawsuits.

The vast majority of Arizonans are concerned about future groundwater and Colorado River water supplies, and support dedicated funding for resilience and conservation projects.

• 91% are concerned about the Colorado River's ability to continue providing needed water supplies to Arizona. A majority (51%) are very concerned.
  
  
• 89% of Arizonans are concerned about the state's current groundwater situation, with 81% stating that Arizona should protect at-risk groundwater basins by either authorizing new groundwater management tools for local communities with state support or by designating new Active Management Areas.
  
  
• 88% of Arizonans think there should be annual funding dedicated to implementing water conservation and resilience projects throughout the state.

Arizonans strongly support collaborative solutions between Colorado River Basin states to create a more secure water future.

• 86% of Arizonans believe that real solutions to Colorado River water shortages are possible through collaborative agreements between states rather than lawsuits.

"Arizonans live with the realities of climate change impacting water resources every day.  So, it's no surprise that they recognize that the fate of the Colorado River impacts all Basin states and that real solutions require long-term funding, collaboration, and a shared commitment to creating a healthier and more resilient Colorado River," said Moira Mcdonald, Environment Program Director of the Walton Family Foundation. "With the right investments, we can create a healthier Colorado River and a more secure water future for everyone."

Other key findings from the poll include:

Arizonans see water security as a top priority, responding that the state should prioritize drinking water and food production (74%) and secure water supplies for existing residents and businesses (66%) rather than companies that produce computer chips, run data centers and power AI (19%) or mine coal, lithium, and other natural resources (21%).

Arizonans strongly support strategies that will make Arizona and the Colorado River Basin more resilient.

• 84% of Arizonans believe we should use forest management and restoration strategies to protect the forested areas where our water comes from.
  
  
• 83% support making agriculture more efficient and enabling farmers to thrive by supporting on-farm water conservation, alternative crops that use less water, and infrastructure upgrades.
  
  
• 83% support boosting municipal water conservation and water reuse through tactics like recycling and reuse of purified wastewater and replacing lawns with drought-tolerant landscaping.
  
  
• 81% believe we should restore wetlands, meadows, and riverside habitats to improve the health of rivers and streams.
  
  
• 79% believe we should restore degraded rivers and streams by slowing river flows, reestablishing native plants, replenishing groundwater, and restoring natural water supplies.

To read the full poll results, visit www.waltonfamilyfoundation.org

Polling Methodology:
Methodology: This poll was conducted between June 11-June 17, 2025 among a sample of 799 Registered Voters in Arizona (Arizonans). The interviews were conducted online, and the data was weighted to approximate a target sample of Registered Voters in Arizona based on gender by age, educational attainment, race, marital status, home ownership, race by educational attainment, and past presidential vote. Results from the full survey have a margin of error of plus or minus 3 percentage points. Additional analysis provided by Beck Research.

About the Walton Family Foundation

The Walton Family Foundation is, at its core, a family-led foundation. Three generations of the descendants of our founders, Sam and Helen Walton, and their spouses work together to lead the foundation and create access to opportunity for people and communities. We work in three areas: improving education, protecting rivers and oceans and the communities they support and investing in our home region of Northwest Arkansas and the Arkansas-Mississippi Delta. To learn more, visit waltonfamilyfoundation.org and follow us on Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram and X.

SOURCE Walton Family Foundation