Arizona leaders are railing against the federal government’s new plan to split water among Colorado River states.
The proposal announced on Friday requires no mandatory cuts from the four Upper Basin states of Colorado, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming while requiring as much as three million acre feet annually in cuts from the three Lower Basin states of Arizona, California and Nevada through 2036.
“Solving the Colorado River crisis demands a fair, basin-wide solution in which every stakeholder is asked to sacrifice,” Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego stated in a new release Friday. “Instead, the federal government takes aim at Arizona and Lower Basin states even though we continue to do our part and conservation is a core part of our water culture. Phoenix is prepared to use less Colorado River water, but it is wrong to lay a disproportionate share of the burden on Arizona.”
The federal government’s plan includes several different alternatives for cuts based on how much rainfall and snowpack enter the river system. Under the most extreme cuts, Arizona could lose 77% of its supply of Colorado River water.
The Arizona Department of Water Resources called the most severe cuts “unacceptable for the state of Arizona” in a news release.
The Lower Basin states submitted a proposal to the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, which oversees the Colorado River, for lesser cuts for the three states over the next two years. While aspects of their plan were included in Friday’s announcement, the federal government did not agree to the reduced cuts.
Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs said in a news release Friday that in the Lower Basin states’ proposal, Arizona is prepared to cut nearly a third of its Colorado River water. The Lower Basin states requested a 2% cut for the Upper Basin states, but the federal government rejected it.
Hobbs said her administration will be working “around the clock” to persuade the federal government of a more equitable plan before the plan is finalized. The Arizona Department of Water Resources said the same in a news release.
Arizona is first in line for cuts among the Lower Basin states. It has the lowest priority because of a 1970s agreement that supplied federal to build the Central Arizona Project canal, which carries water from Lake Havasu on the Colorado River to the Phoenix and Tucson areas.
The Central Arizona Project canal carries water from the Colorado River to the Phoenix and Tucson areas.
(Courtesy Central Arizona Project)
As other Arizona water officials have in recent months, Hobbs argued Arizona’s role on the national stage, saying agricultural produce, minerals, weapons defense systems and semiconductors that the country relies on are all made in the Grand Canyon State.
“Inequitable, federally imposed cuts to our Colorado River water allocation will be unacceptable to Arizonans, and will put every American at risk,” Hobbs stated in a news release.
Decades of drought on the river have brought Lake Mead and Lake Powell to historic lows, including one of the worst snowpacks in two decades this past winter. Lake Powell water levels are in jeopardy of this year sinking below the intake levels to generate hydroelectric power.
Arizona does not entirely rely on the Colorado River for water. Most Valley cities also receive was from the Salt River Project that comes from the Salt and Verde rivers, as well as a smaller percentage coming from groundwater.
For the city of Phoenix, 58% of its water supply is from SRP, 40% is from the Colorado River through CAP and 2% is from groundwater. Some reclaimed wastewater is also used for non-potable uses like irrigation and power generation.
Phoenix officials say the city has long prepared for drought and there is no risk of water not coming out of residents’ taps. However, it may mean drawing down water reserves to do so.
"Phoenix has prepared for this moment, and our customers can expect reliable water service,” Water Services Director Brandy Kelso stated in a news release Friday. But preparation does not mean we can stand still. We may need to use some of the water we have stored, accelerate investments in future supplies and work together as a community to reduce demand.”
Phoenix Water Resources Management Advisor Max Wilson highlighted that the use of backup water must be a temporary use while long-term water sources are stabilized.
“The Colorado River remains an essential part of Phoenix’s water portfolio,” Wilson stated in a news release. “Our stored and backup supplies give us important flexibility, but they are designed to bridge uncertainty while we build the next generation of renewable water supplies. They are not a permanent substitute for the river.”
The Upper Basin states and Lower Basin states have each historically been allocated 7.5 million acre feet of water per year. Arizona and Nevada have had to take mandatory cuts from those allocations in recent years. The Upper Basin states have argued that because they have historically not used their entire allocation while the Lower Basin states usually do, they should not receive as much in mandatory cuts to replenish the river system.
In a water news conference earlier this year, ADWR Director Tom Buschatzke said the 7.5 million acre feet is only one of two caps on the Upper Basin states. The other cap is that, under Colorado River Compact of 1922, they must allow 75 million acre feet flow to the Lower Basin states over a 10-year period. A 2012 update expanded that to add an annual allocation to flow to Mexico. Under the more severe weather projections in the federal government’s proposal, the Upper Basin would be in breach of the Colorado River Compact.
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Mark Carlisle joined Independent Newsmedia, Inc., USA, in 2017, covering Glendale. He has since moved to the Daily Independent team, primarily covering the city of Phoenix along with other topics affecting the Valley at-large.
Community: Mark enjoys taking his two young sons to parks, the Phoenix Zoo, the Phoenix Public Library and other fun events around the Valley. He also participates in a local book club.
Education: Chapman University with a BA in English Journalism and one in Screenwriting.
Random Fact: Mark worked at a tuxedo shop in college. Just don’t ask him to tie a bowtie.
Hobbies: Spending time with his wife, sons and dog, watching sports and TV shows, listening to audiobooks and occasionally writing fiction or designing a board game.
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