« Think of your house as a watershed ! » La récupération des eaux de pluie à Tucson, en Arizona : vers la diversification de l’approvisionnement en eau dans le Sud-Ouest étasunien ?

Abstract

Our research questions the implementation of rainwater harvesting in Tucson (Arizona) and how it can modify the southwestern United States hydrosocial cycle based on large infrastructures and managed by powerful federal and state agencies. In the context of climate change, the hydrosocial cycle in Tucson is threatened by a water shortage on the Colorado River and has become therefore a controversial issue in the public debate. The implementation of rainwater harvesting in Tucson is the outcome of two different processes: on one hand, it is a “hydrosocial fix” supported by the City to diversify its water portfolio; on the other hand, rainwater harvesting is promoted as a critique towards the current regional hydrosocial cycle. In both cases, the small and local technical systems of rainwater harvesting help materializing the hydrosocial cycle and therefore placing water issues at the heart of the inhabitant’s concerns.

Keywords

• hydrosocial cycle
• rainwater harvesting
• water shortage
• fix
• United States