Water

Central Arizona will bear brunt of planned Colorado River cuts

Cave Creek will see cut, but how much still to be determined

The proposed Colorado River reductions would mostly affect Central Arizona Project water users.

Central Arizona Project

Sarah Porter is the director of the Kyl Center for Water Policy.

Courtesy of Arizona State University

Queen Creek council members stand at the Harquahala Valley landmark commemorating the town’s purchase of more than 1 million acre-feet of basin groundwater.

Town of Queen Creek

Arizona officials are awaiting final word from the federal government on an agreement that would reduce the state’s allocation of Colorado River water by 760,000-acre feet for two years.

The proposed reduction would primarily affect Central Arizona Project water users, and while seemingly daunting, many Valley cities and towns have been preparing for decades for just such an event.

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