While unchanged water usage rates can mostly be attributed to the economys transition from one that is based largely on agriculture to urban, decades of conservation efforts including the, Arizona Groundwater Management Act of 1980. and year-long mandatory water conservation measures have certainly helped. Now it seems, Arizona water cutbacks will begin in January 2022. But Irwin argues if this one water transfer is allowed, it will open the door to many other large investment firms buying up the land and water rights in her community. The region has suffered from a long-term drought, and Lake Mead water levels have declined significantly over the past two decades. This declaration of cutbacks in water deliveries was in accordance with established Colorado River operating criteria. Environmental News, Data Analysis, Research & Policy Solutions. Arizonans are now restricted on how much In that sense, its good. Several hundred residents are now using up the last of the Scottsdale water that haulers delivered in late December to the 5,000-gallon (18,950-liter) tanks buried in their yards, but said at a public gathering last week they expect it will dry up soon. A 2019 Drought Contingency Plan (DCP) triggers automatic cuts for different tiers. We have that resource available to us, he said, as well as billions of dollars available to us for things like recycling, augmentation and other solutions that may be on the table.. Water in Arizona Is My Property in an AMA or INA? One of the measures that Biden Thats the way it works.. In my opinion, look somewhere else we need to be able to sustain ourselves.. One major challenge to recovery, she said, is where the water storage facilities are located in relation to the cities looking to extract their water. The latest Morning Scoop panel discussion focused on a broad overview of the water issues facing Arizona. Grady Gammage, an attorney representing the Greenstone investment firm, told CNN that the water can be transferred to wherever the owner chooses. This shortage is a reduction in the amount of water that can be used from the Colorado River and is part of a broader plan to protect the overall health of the Colorado River system. Basins are tested to ensure that water does not sit on the surface for days at a time, which avoids losses from excessive evaporation. But water shortage in Arizona is also pitting small towns against fast-growing metropolitan communities. Arizona. When the elevation of Lake Mead is projected in August to fall to 1,075 feet or lower by the end of the current year, the federal government is to declare a Tier 1 Shortage beginning in January. Once you have your water rights, you defend it, Ferris said. Our readers include residents, business owners, water wonks, elected officials, and journalistspretty much anyone who cares about water. Glendale, for instance, has alandscaping program that gives homeowners up to $750for converting grass lawns into more water-sensitive xeriscaping. The fourth-priority was only part of the whole negotiations, and we walked into it with our heads held up high because at least its water, said former Hualapai Chairman Damon Clarke. The Colorado River serves 40 million people in Wyoming, Colorado, Utah, New Mexico, Arizona, California and Nevada. For alternative water sources, there has been discussions of, pumping floodwaters from the Mississippi River basin. Arizona also needs to rapidly invest and diversify its water sources. Even after investing billions in treatment plants and infrastructure to utilize Colorado River water, the ten AMWUA cities have been preparing for years to receive less water from the River. For years, officials have doled out more water than actually flows down the Colorado River, making it chronically overallocated. Local, national, and international media have been covering the poor health of the Colorado River system for some time, with the Hand-picked stories once a fortnight. The writing has been on the wall for years that the Colorado Rivers yearly overallocation would eventually catch up to it. By Pamela King | 01/18/2023 01:21 PM EST, By Ariel Wittenberg | 01/18/2023 01:21 PM EST, By E.A. Arizona uses approximately 7 million acre-feet (maf) of water each year from all sources, about 2.8 maf of which comes fom the Colorado River. In comparison, here are the prescribed cutbacks in a Tier 2a Shortage: Why is more than a Tier 2a Shortage needed? Discovery Company. Gunsight Butte (right at Lake Powell as seen on ), Feb. 3, 2022. Nevertheless, he noted, the conditions on the Colorado River system are likely to deteriorate further in the coming calendar year. Its clear the state needs to do more beyond the water restriction from the declaration. Shortage on the Colorado River will not impact our water supplies. Scottsdale turned off its longstanding supply of water to the community on Jan. 1, calling the cutoff permanent. Were working on phasing into the other responsibilities that we have, of actually making that water available to others when shortages hit us.. The Tier 2a Shortage determines that central Arizona will receive 592,000 acre-feet less Colorado River water in 2023, which means an additional 80,000 acre-feet will be cut compared to this year's Tier 1 Shortage. Extreme swings in weather are expected as part of a changing climate, something Brad Udall, a water and climate research scientist at Colorado State University, has called "weather whiplash." In Arizona, the current drought is approaching 15 years in length and has surpassed the worst drought in more than110 years of official recordkeeping. Further to the south, Tucson officials said theyre more prepared and less affected by potential But as the climate crisis continues to intensify, Arizona has been embattled with a myriad of issues, chief among them being the increasing threat of water shortage and scarcity. We really need to utilize those credits very judiciously to try to preserve them for as long as we can.. Water buffalos the experts, wonks and gadflies of the water worldin Valley city halls say the impending shortage isnt solely to blame for the increases. Municipalities and tribes have the highest CAP priority and will not face water reductions in 2022. In June, the Commissioner said water usage in the Basin had to be reduced by 2 to 4 million acre-feet in 2023. According to Kathleen Ferris, a senior research fellow with the Kyl Center for Water Policy in Arizona, water scarcity in the state has resulted in the haves and the have nots, and described the coming water competition could potentially be like the Wild West. But after saving its water for the dry times to come, Arizona faces a new new challenge: determining how to get the water to the communities that need it, while also making it last as long as possible. Republic reporter Taylor Seely contributed to this report. In Arizona amid a decades-long megadrought some communities are facing the very real possibility of losing access to the precious water that remains. Farmers therefore will be impacted first (and most) by the ongoing water shortage declaration, forcing them to take conservation measures including fallowing land where a portion of cropland cannot be planted for an entire season. Beyond that, there needs to be an overhaul of sustainable farming practices in the industry as well the state is the leading producers of cotton, lettuce and hay with cattle and dairy being the top agricultural products. This Tier 1 Shortage declaration will not come as a surprise. The bank also holds 613,000 acre-feet of water credits for Nevada, under an agreement with the Silver State to store a portion of its Colorado River water. For alternative water sources, there has been discussions of pumping floodwaters from the Mississippi River basin to either Colorados Front Range or to New Mexicos Rio Grande. further reductions will be needed in 2023, he ten AMWUA cities have been preparing for years to receive less water from the River, immediate challenge is the unpredictability, Arizona: 592,000 acre-feet, which is approximately 21% of the state's annualapportionment, Nevada: 25,000 acre-feet, which is 8% of the state's annual apportionment, Mexico: 104,000 acre-feet, which is approximately 7% of the country's annual allotment, California: There is no required water savings contribution for California in 2023. These adjustments require time for planning, stretching their existing workforce, and a significant amount of money from already set budgets for 2023. For over 50 years, the Arizona Municipal Water Users Association has worked to protect our member cities ability to provide assured, safe, and sustainable water supplies to their communities. Supplemental water deliveries to Lake Powell began in July 2021 under emergency provisions of the 2019 Drought Response Operation Agreement. Boost this article Several hundred residents are now using up the last of The latest Morning Scoop panel discussion sponsored by the Arizona Capitol Times focused on a broad overview of the water issues facing Arizona. In his State of the State address, Governor Doug Ducey plans to provide the Arizona Water Authority with a $1 billion budget to find new sources of water over the next three years and to partner with other states on desalination plants. These challenges include determining how to move their other water supplies groundwater and Salt and Verde River water - to ensure the reliability of their systems. There are a variety of maps you and your clients can access: Long Term drought, short term drought, Agriculture commodities overlayed on drought areas, and water supply by stream flow and predicted 30-day precipitation. Here are our top priorities for Arizonas 2023 Legislative Session: 1)Pass legislation that provides communities in rural Arizona (places located outside of Active Management Areas) with the ability to plan, manage, and protect their groundwater resources in a locally-adaptable approach. Of our Colorado River water, about 1.5 maf moves through a Central Arizona Project (CAP) canal into the metro areas of Phoenix and Tucson. To be proactive and prevent further depletion of Colorado River water supplies, the seven Basin States set operating guidelines to use less water when Lake Mead and Lake Powell drop to specific levels. But to build such a pipe would cost USD$8.6 billion, and potentially raise water prices from less than $200 for an acre-foot to $1,700. You can access the Arizona drought map and search specific cities, counties and zip codes for drought conditions on drought.gov. WHAT IS A TIER 1 SHORTAGE ON THE COLORADO RIVER? The ten AMWUA cities will continue to plan and prepare even amidst uncertainty while waiting for Reclamation to make a decision. A Tier 1 shortage will cut the states annual entitlement of Colorado River water, which is 2.8 million acre-feet, by 512,000 acre-feet,according to the Arizona Department of Water Resources. News never stops. The water deliveries will provide the lake with up to 181,000 acre-feet of water by the end of 2021. Water levels on Lake Mead, the largest reservoir in the US, is currently experiencing historic low-water levels, caused by the ongoing 20-year-long megadrought in the US West, as well as reduced snowpack in the Rocky Mountains where it usually provides a steady supply of water as it melts. WebEach city is prepared for Tier 2 and even Tier 3 shortages because they have invested in diverse and reliable water portfolios, funded infrastructure and technology, stored water These record lows prompted the first-ever Tier 1 Water Shortage declaration for the reservoirs, which has been in effect since early 2022, requiring water users including states like Nevada as well as Mexico to conserve and reduce their water consumption. Reclamation and state leaders must pursue a more long-term sustainable approach to managing the Colorado River rather than trying to make marginal cuts that barely help avert shortage from year to year. WebThis August, the Bureau of Reclamation declared a Tier 2a for the Colorado River system for calendar year 2023. Senate President Karen Fann gave us an update on what we will [], Copyright 2016 | WeMAR Government Affairs. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Advance Local. Privacy Policy and Cookie Statement updated 7/1/2022). Both communities say these water rights are key to their sustainability. Over the same period, the state has recorded 6.2 more days that are above 110F (43C), which translates to significantly more danger days where residents are more likely to succumb to heat-related health issues and deaths. FILE - In this July 16, 2014 file photo, what was once a marina sits high and dry due to Lake Mead receding in the Lake Mead National Recreation Area in Arizona. A Tier 1 shortage does mean that municipal water providers will continue to do what they have done for decades. The bank never intended to fully firm 100 percent; we knew we would never have enough credits to do that, she explained, referring to the technical term for using the stored water to shore up supplies. We are rapidly approaching 100 days and [], Join WeSERV Association of REALTORS and the Queen Creek Economic Development team for a tour of Queen Creek. Now that it is here, what does it mean, and how does it impact Arizona and the AMWUA cities? Recovery has always been discussed from the minute the Water Bank was created, OConnell said, but she acknowledged that efforts lagged until 2014, when the first working group was created to address the issue. Lake Havasu City, AZ (86403) Today. Biden also approved a water rights settlement for the Hualapai Tribe and authorized additional funding to complete water projects for the White Mountain Apache Tribe. But these measures will not be enough to combat water scarcity as the Colorado River continues to deplete. Holly Irwin, a district supervisor in La Paz County, home to Cibola, is fighting the plan. The reductions waiting to be fully carried out under Tier 3 of the DCP agreement are substantial. CNN Sans & 2016 Cable News Network. These proactive measures and long-term planning efforts are necessary in our arid state and have ensured reliable water supplies during times of drought and shortage. That water will instead be kept in Lake Mead, whichprovides much of Arizonas water. Theres no silver bullet in tackling the water shortage situation in Arizona, but until the US and the world manages to drastically reduce greenhouse gas emissions and mitigate climate change and therefore drought conditions the state cannot rely on the same water supplies and keep business as usual. By donating us $100, $50 or subscribe to Boosting $10/month we can get this article and others in front of tens of thousands of specially targeted readers. For many years, Arizona water professionals have been anticipating and preparing for this shortage. Mexico also gets a share. A spokesperson for the Arizona Department of Water Resources noted that other entities, whether private or publicly operated, have stored in excess of 13 million acre-feet of water. Example video title will go here for this video. This is a life-changing moment for the Hualapai Tribe and the many members of the Tribal Council who have worked toward this goal for more than a decade, tribal Vice Chairman Scott Crozier said in a statement Thursday. As part of DCP, Arizona formalized the already existing practice of water users conserving a portion of the Lake Mead allocation. The Colorado River has been a go-to source of water for cities, tribes and farmers in the West for decades. One of the provisions was a plan by the lower basin states and Mexico to share in water cutbacks, if needed, between 2020 and 2026. Hotter days and climates increase evaporation rates as a result, leading to water bodies and sources becoming more stressed, and threatening availability. This could potentially move 600,000 acre-feet of water, offsetting the projected loss from the Colorado River. Our readers include residents, business owners, water wonks, elected officials, and journalistspretty much anyone who cares about water. The drought-stricken Southwest got a reprieve this year with average and above-average snowfall following a year that sent many states into extreme drought. WebGilbert has four main water sources: Colorado River water from the Central Arizona Project. There is a 22% chance that The third bill that Biden signed amends a 2010 water rights settlement for the White Mountain Apache Tribe in eastern Arizona, authorizing additional funding and extending deadlines to complete a rural water system and dam. Confirm Logout As water levels in Lake Mead continue to drop, a multistate drought contingency agreement signed in 2019 would subject Arizona to further reductions in its Colorado River water (E&E News PM, June 2). Updated every January and August, the August projection of the following January 1 water elevation determines whether a shortage is to be declared on the system. 2. In 2019 the Arizona State Legislature passed, the Governor signed and the United States Department of Interior approved the DCP, the Drought Contingency Plan. This figure shows Lake Powell's predicted water levels through 2026. As the climate crisis intensifies, battle lines are beginning to form over water. Community Rules apply to all content you upload or otherwise submit to this site. It hasnt gained traction, but many cities use indirect potable reuse which involves capturing the water that goes down your drain andtreating it for non-drinking purposes, such as landscaping. Longstanding supply of water users conserving a portion of the 2019 drought Response Operation.... Portion of the DCP Agreement are substantial home to Cibola, is fighting the plan more water than flows. 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