A tale of two deserts: Are Saudi cows to blame for Arizona's water crisis?

While the taps are running dry and reservoirs are disappearing in Arizona, a corporate farm from Saudi Arabia is pumping massive amounts of groundwater to grow alfalfa for cows back in the Middle East. Now, after years of inaction, Arizonans are pointing the finger at what they see as a foreign invader slurping up the last gulps of a diminishing water supply. But the truth is more complicated. In this episode, we dig deep into the history of Arizona’s water crisis and uncover a tale of dates, camels and dairy cows, and try to find out who’s really to blame for the West’s water crisis. Featuring: Natalie Koch. SUPPORT Outside/In is made possible with listener support. Click here to become a sustaining member of Outside/In. Subscribe to our FREE newsletter. Follow Outside/In on Instagram or Twitter, or join our private discussion group on Facebook If you’ve got a question for the Outside/Inbox hotline, give us a call! We’re always looking for rabbit holes to dive down into. Leave us a voicemail at: 1-844-GO-OTTER (844-466-8837), or email us at [email protected]. LINKS Read Arid Empire: The Entangled Fates of Arizona and Arabia, by Natalie Koch. Listen to the six-part podcast series Thirst Gap: Learning to live with less on the Colorado River, by KUNC. Listen to Parched, a podcast about people who rely on the river that shaped the West, and have ideas to save it, by Colorado Public Radio. CREDITS Host: Nate Hegyi Produced by Felix Poon and Nate Hegyi Mixed by Felix Poon Edited by Taylor Quimby Rebecca Lavoie is our Executive Producer Music for this episode by Blue Dot Sessions. Our theme music is by Breakmaster Cylinder. Outside/In is a production of New Hampshire Public Radio. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices