Arizona Accepts 760,000 Acre-Foot Colorado River Cuts for 2 Years Despite Legal Objections
Updated
Updated · The Arizona Republic · Aug 25
Arizona Accepts 760,000 Acre-Foot Colorado River Cuts for 2 Years Despite Legal Objections
3 articles · Updated · The Arizona Republic · Aug 25
Summary
Arizona water officials said they can absorb federal Colorado River cuts of 760,000 acre-feet a year for two years, even as they called the plan legally flawed and reserved the right to sue.
The state backs the short-term cap because it avoids a harsher scenario in which Lower Basin cuts could rise to 3 million acre-feet, a level Central Arizona Project officials warn could dry the canal serving Phoenix and Tucson.
CAP and city officials said the two-year reprieve must be used to secure legislative approval before October and build alternatives, including groundwater recovery systems, new pipes, treatment plants and possible desalination or California exchange deals.
Phoenix officials warned the Lower Basin-only approach could leave Washington responsible for billions of dollars in adaptation costs, while Arizona also wants more water released or counted from Upper Basin reservoirs after the two-year period.
Nevada's lawsuit against the federal plan sharpened pressure on Arizona's review, but state officials said their immediate priority is locking in the two-year deal and voluntary conservation to keep Lake Mead from falling further.