Let's maximize Arizona's assets

Has Arizona gone bust? It sometimes looks that way, because we've spent the last year focused on the debit column. There was a long list of negatives in 2011, from education cuts to assorted scandals to the venomous controversy over illegal immigration. But that's just one side of a balance sheet. The state has a rich store of assets. Going into the new year, Arizonans should do what any smart investor does: Take a close look at the assets and figure out how to maximize them. Here are some selections from the plus side of the ledger: Water: This desert state has planned better than a lot of wetter ones. Its efforts have included programs to take urban areas off groundwater and to recharge groundwater supplies. We're a national leader in reusing treated wastewater. The biggest challenge is in rural Arizona, which needs a strategy to maximize limited water supplies and more understanding of its aquifers, including data on pumping from private wells. The Department of Water Resources, hard hit by budget cuts, must have adequate funding to oversee this crucial asset and also to defend Arizona's share of the Colorado River.

Click here to view this article from its source.