Laveen Builds 10th School With Water Use Details Undisclosed | The Locally Times
The district broke ground on Laveen Traditional Academy as Lake Mead sits at 33 percent capacity, and key planning documents for the school and county lack specific water-use details.
## Laveen District Builds as Regional Water Levels Drop The Laveen Elementary School District is expanding, having broken ground on its 10th school, Laveen Traditional Academy. The district’s growth also includes the recent renaming of Cheatham Elementary to Laveen Leadership Academy at Cheatham Farms. According to a January 9, 2026, district post, it is expanding its operations and actively hiring staff. This local expansion occurs as Arizona confronts a prolonged water crisis. Records from the Arizona Municipal Water Users Association (AMWUA) published in early 2026 show Lake Mead, a critical state reservoir, is 33 percent full. Lake Powell, another key Colorado River reservoir, dropped 36 feet in one year and sits at 27 percent capacity. AMWUA documents attribute the crisis to persistent drought, climate change, and over-allocation of the Colorado River system. The situation has led to deadlocked negotiations among the seven Colorado River Basin states over water use reductions. ## County Growth Plan Lacks Specific Water Strategies Maricopa County is updating its long-range strategy for managing growth. The document is intended to guide county-level decisions on future growth, development, and preservation through 2040. The announcement confirms the plan addresses county-wide topics, including water resources, and aims to provide a basis for guiding development while sustaining residents' quality of life. However, the public announcement does not contain specific strategies for how the county will balance the water demands of new developments, such as schools and the residential growth they support, with documented water scarcity. The plan is an update to one adopted in 2016, prompted by new growth patterns and legal requirements. ## School’s Water Needs and Supply Remain Undisclosed While Laveen School District announcements celebrate the new school, the documents do not specify the facility's projected water demand or detail any water conservation measures in its design. Records do not identify which utility will supply water to Laveen Traditional Academy or whether a long-term water availability assessment was conducted for the project. The AMWUA, which represents ten Maricopa County municipalities serving 3.7 million people, describes water security as fundamental to Arizona's success in its public documents. The organization states its work is focused on ensuring its members have dependable water supplies. Public records do not indicate if the Laveen School District’s water is managed by an AMWUA member or what discussions have occurred between the district and regional water authorities about the expansion. Public records do not contain reports that connect the district’s growth to specific water resource impacts. The Laveen School District’s Governing Board has a meeting scheduled for March 19, which may be the next opportunity for more information to become public.