Phoenix Prepares Stage 2 Drought Measures as County Launches Clean Air Campaign and ACAAI Meets on Allergy Breakthroughs

Phoenix Outlines Stage 2 Drought Regulations Following Colorado River Curtailments

PHOENIX, Arizona — Anticipating deeper federal delivery cuts across the Colorado River system, the City of Phoenix Water Services Department announced on Thursday, November 12, 2026, that the municipality will transition into Stage 2 of its Drought Management Plan starting in January. While avoiding mandatory indoor household rationing, the Stage 2 framework introduces tiered volumetric surcharges on high-volume non-essential water users, expands cash incentives for residential turf removal, and intensifies audits on commercial landscape irrigation.

Municipal water resource planners highlighted that proactive water recycling infrastructure and aquifer storage projects have positioned Phoenix to manage regional drought conditions safely.

Maricopa County Air Quality Department Launches Annual Clean Air Campaign

As winter weather patterns bring calm atmospheric inversions to the Valley of the Sun, the Maricopa County Air Quality Department (MCAQD) launched its seasonal 'Burn Cleaner, Burn Better' campaign on Thursday. The educational outreach effort aims to curb fine particulate pollution by encouraging Valley residents to avoid wood burning in fireplaces and fire pits during high-pollution advisory days, protecting vulnerable individuals with respiratory illnesses.

ACAAI Annual Scientific Meeting Convenes in Phoenix with Pediatric Allergy Milestones

More than 3,000 immunologists, physicians, and medical researchers arrived at the Phoenix Convention Center for the American College of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology (ACAAI) Annual Scientific Meeting. Early sessions highlighted Phase II clinical trial data from the multi-center ALLIANCE study, evaluating a once-daily sublingual immunotherapy tablet that achieved high rates of immune desensitization in pediatric patients with severe peanut allergies.