| The Colorado River provides water resources to the majority of the American Southwest. Due to above-average streamflow at the time of its apportionments in 1922, its waters have consequently been overallocated. The Central Arizona Project (CAP) delivers Colorado River water to the Phoenix and Tucson metropolitan areas and supplies 26% of Maricopa County's water for municipal uses. However, Arizona is a junior appropriator of Colorado River water, thus will be the first to endure supply reductions if shortages within the Colorado River system were to occur.;Changes in climatic conditions affect hydrological processes. Increasing temperatures have a direct impact on the following hydroclimatic components: snowpack, precipitation, evapotranspiration rates, soil moisture, runoff, streamflow, and groundwater systems. Consequently, climate change is projected to cause a decline in water availability and water supply reliability in the Colorado River Basin, which will most likely lead to shortages on the CAP.;In this thesis, two demand-reduction scenarios in the single-family residential sector are explored in order to evaluate the potential municipal water demand reductions that could be achieved if aggressive municipal water conservation programs were implemented throughout Maricopa County. Conclusions indicate that single-family residential water demand could be reduced by 40 to 52%, which equates to a water supply savings of 223,212 and 290,176 acre-feet (275,328 and 357,923 thousand cubic meters) per year, respectively. With the correct policy mechanisms in place, demand on the Colorado River could be significantly reduced, thus mitigating climate-induced impacts on water availability for Maricopa County.;Keywords. (1) Water conservation---Municipal water supply---Arizona---Maricopa County (2) Water efficiency---Municipal water supply---Arizona---Maricopa County (3) Climatic changes---Water-supply---Colorado River Watershed (4) Climatic changes---Municipal water supply---Arizona---Maricopa County (5) Residential water consumption---Arizona---Maricopa County... |
