Statistics from the U.S. Census Department indicate an impending showdown between suburban sprawl, driven by the capitalist profit motive, and simple facts of nature. Explosive growth is occurring in regions that will not have enough water to sustain their populations.
Nine of the ten fastest growing counties in the United States are in the South or West, including water-stressed areas such as Phoenix, Atlanta and Dallas-Fort Worth. More than 800,000 people have moved to Maricopa, Ariz., a suburb of Phoenix, since 2000. Maricopa is part of Pinal County, which has seen its population increase by two-thirds in the same period. The Phoenix metropolitan area depends on the Colorado River for its water supply.
A recent study warns that reservoirs could run dry in 15 years—not even enough time to pay off a mortgage. A planned economy, free of the profit motive, could easily avert such foreseeable disasters.
