What will your neighborhood look like in 100 years? When you live in the desert, this question is less whimsical and more about simple practicalities.

Arizona’s Groundwater Management Act of 1980 says that any new development built in the state’s “Active Management Areas” — land that heavily relies on mined groundwater — must prove 100 years of water supply before they’re even able to break ground.

Jump ahead to 2018, when yesterday the Arizona Supreme Court gave the go-ahead to a planned, 7,000-house development in Cochise County. Critics say this could pull too much water from the San Pedro River, one of the last free-flowing rivers in the Southwest.

So how did the court square the 1980 law with the potential impact of the rural development’s draw on protected water levels? Howie Fischer of Capitol Media Services joined The Show to explain.