City of Phoenix officials are criticizing the federal government’s plan to share a reduced supply of Colorado River water, saying it puts an undue burden on Arizona.
On Friday, the Bureau of Reclamation finalized a 10-year framework of how to share water between the seven Colorado River basin states as well as 2027-28 operating guidelines. The current agreement of how to share water on the river expires at the end of 2026.
Those guidelines for the next two years states that the three Lower Basin states must reduce their water use by a combined 1.25 million acre-feet of water per year. Arizona will take the brunt of that reduction. The reductions per state will be:
- Arizona: 760,000 acre-feet
- California: 440,000 acre-feet
- Nevada: 50,000 acre-feet
The Lower Basin states will also be asked to voluntarily store an additional 700,000 acre-feet of water over the two years.
The four Upper Basin states — Colorado, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming — are not required to take any mandatory cuts.
Low water levels at Wahweap Bay at Lake Powell along the Upper Colorado River Basin are pictured, June 9, 2021, at the Utah and Arizona border at Wahweap.
(The Associated Press/Ross D. Franklin)
In statements on Friday, both Mayor Kate Gallego and District 1 Councilmember Ann O’Brien each called for a more equitable split among the seven states.
“The federal government’s decision does not provide the fair, basin-wide leadership the Colorado River crisis demands,” Gallego stated in a news release. “…Though Phoenix is prepared for this moment because of decades of planning and conservation, we will push for new federal support to mitigate the rising cost of water that will result from this federal decision.”
In her statement, O’Brien clarified that this is not a situation where taps will run dry. Phoenix water officials said the same.
“Phoenix has prepared extensively for reduced Colorado River supplies, and our customers can continue to expect reliable water service,” stated Phoenix Water Services Director Brandy Kelso in a news release. “But preparation does not mean we can be complacent. Balancing supply and demand will require us to carefully manage our reserves, invest in future supplies, and work with residents and businesses to use water as efficiently as possible.”
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.
In years 3-10 of the new water sharing framework, the Lower Basin states could be required to cut up to 3 million acre-feet of water per year, depending on the water levels on the river.
Arizona Department of Water Resources Director Tom Buschatzke said that level of reduction is the real concern.
“While the framework for years 3-10 continues to be of concern, we applaud the Department of the Interior for clarifying the decision-making process for operations beyond 2028,” Buschatzke stated in a news release Friday. “That outcome allows for continued negotiations for years 3-10 while preserving our ability to protect Arizona’s legal rights to Colorado River water.”
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 will likely draw down some water stored underground in the coming years, but Phoenix Water Resources Management Advisor Max Wilson said this is a stop-gap, and more sustainable solutions must be found.
“The water we stored underground was developed for conditions like these,” Wilson stated in a news release. “Those reserves provide a critical bridge, but that bridge must lead to the next generation of renewable water supplies. Phoenix will use this moment to accelerate the projects and partnerships needed to strengthen reliability for decades to come.”
O’Brien encouraged Phoenix residents and businesses to conserve as much water as possible by checking for leaks, using desert-adapted landscaping and participating in conservation programs like those found at phoenix.gov/savewater.
“Preparation only takes us so far. We must all do our part because every gallon saved now gives Phoenix more flexibility to manage what’s ahead,” O’Brien said.
Both Phoenix officials and Buschatzke stated that they plan to continue to negotiate with the federal government for a more equitable split of reductions between states.
The city of Phoenix’s statement on the new guidelines stated that a lasting solution must:
- Share responsibility throughout the entire Colorado River Basin.
- Reflect current and anticipated hydrologic conditions.
- Protect critical elevations at Lake Powell and Lake Mead.
- Recognize tribal water rights.
- Provide pathways to new federal funds and support.
- Provide certainty for community, infrastructure, and financial planning.
- Recognize conservation and water-storage investments already made by cities, tribes, agriculture and other water users.
- Protect communities, agriculture, and industries important to the regional and national economy.
Why are Arizona’s cuts worse than others?
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.
As for the inequity between the Upper Basin and Lower Basin states, each group has historically been allocated 7.5 million acre-feet of water per year. Arizona and Nevada have had to take mandatory cuts from those allocations due to shortages 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, 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 to 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
Associate Editor | Phoenix
mcarlisle@iniusa.org
Meet Mark
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 young son to BabyTime at the Phoenix Public Library, to the OdySea Aquarium and to various sporting events around the Valley.
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, son and dog, watching sports and TV shows, listening to audiobooks and occasionally writing fiction or designing a board game.
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