The conclusion of Ken Behringer, counsel for the Arizona Legislative Council, will further complicate Gov. Doug Ducey’s efforts to pass a plan that aims to prevent levels in Lake Mead from falling below thresholds that would trigger catastrophic reductions in Arizona’s water allocation.

Reaching a lasting accord on these challenges is not done by one group working the process alone, but by all of us working together to eliminate uncertainty and strengthen our state’s negotiating posture as we prepare to meet the demands of growth.

Coming to agreement on how best to marshal the state’s water resources and to create sustainability for future Arizonans is among the toughest challenges that leaders in our region can take on. Arizona has chosen to act now. We are opting to improve on the work of previous generations of state leaders to ensure that the word “crisis” remains banished from Arizona’s water lexicon.

In the 24-month report released by the United States Bureau of Reclamation in 2016, the bureau predicted a more than 50 percent chance of a water shortage in 2018. This August, the Bureau of Reclamation report reduced that projection to zero.

Former Attorney General Terry Goddard accused attorneys for Arizona’s water department of ethical lapses and of blindsiding the Central Arizona Project over their filing of a legal brief in an employment lawsuit involving the water district.

The latest agreement will allow the City of Phoenix to store water in underground storage facilities on Gila River Indian Community land in exchange for supporting the revitalization of the Gila River through various diversion projects.

An employment lawsuit is pitting two of the state’s largest actors on water issues against each other, and some say its outcome could complicate Arizona’s efforts to manage its water and prepare for drought.

In our interactions with customers, stakeholders and the general public, Central Arizona Project representatives have noted that most people think the long-term drought is the reason for the declining water levels in Lake Mead. They're only partly right.

Phoenix Mayor Greg Stanton told a Washington panel Tuesday that Arizona is in a fight to make sure other states, particularly California, don’t take water “that rightfully belongs to the people of Arizona.”

Gripped by a prolonged drought, Arizona faces possible cuts to its main water supply in the next 18 months. Residents, however, face none of the restrictions that neighboring California has imposed this year.