Ivette Feliciano:

Norton is the founder of Sinagua malt. Every week it converts eight thousand pounds of raw barley into malted barley. This process involves soaking the kernels in water to germinate and then drying them to encourage fermentation. This barley is a key ingredient in beer and this plant just might help save the local water supply.

To understand why that is, you first have to visit the largest body of water in the area – the Verde River.

The more than 150 mile river runs through central Arizona and supports irrigation of local farms – which are among the heaviest users of water in the area. It also provides water to downstream residents. But effects from long term drought, climate change, and development along its banks threaten its ability to deliver water to millions of people and farms that depend on it.