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AP Exclusive: Emails reveal tensions in Colorado River talks
Competing priorities, outsized demands and the federal government's retreat from a threatened deadline stymied a deal last summer on how to drastically reduce water use from the parched Colorado River, emails obtained by The Associated Press show.
Arizona’s alfalfa is essential, water crisis solution that leads to food supply issue is no fix
Concerns over the Colorado River have led the everyday Arizonan to think about water in ways they haven’t before. As a result, much has been made as of late about growing “thirsty crops” in Arizona’s desert climate. It doesn’t take long to find an opinion or editorial about how farming alfalfa is the embodiment of everything that is wrong with the water system in Arizona, but this rhetor[...]
Managing rural groundwater use goal of state official
Will new urgency around Arizona’s water woes lead to more action on the decades-old issue? Arizona Department of Water Resources Director Tom Buschatzke said he thinks so, and there’s a few specific things he has in mind for the next few years under new Gov. Katie Hobbs.
Neighbors sue Arizona city to restore water cut in drought
Residents of a community just outside Scottsdale are feuding with the city they long depended on for water now that the city has cut off their supply, saying it needs to guarantee there is enough for its own residents amid a deep, long-lasting drought.
Vertical farm in Avondale promotes sustainability, technology, water conservation
Imagine a farm that grows crops on platforms in a controlled environment, uses 99% less water than a traditional farm and grows seasonal produce year-round – all without soil or anyone driving a tractor. This is the goal of OnePointOne, a 12,000-square-foot “vertical farm” in an Avondale industrial park. Water is an existential issue for Arizona, with the two major reservoirs on the Colorado[...]
Water reductions for new year may be just the beginning, experts say
Experts say few Arizona residents will notice any immediate change to the availability of water in their daily lives now that steep cuts are in effect on the amount of water the state can draw from the Colorado River. But that does not mean they can relax.
Arizona restricts farming to protect groundwater supply
The Arizona Department of Water Resources this week put a limit on the amount of land that can be watered, designating the Hualapai Valley as an irrigation non-expansion area. That means anyone who hasn't farmed more than 2 acres there during the past five years can't.
Colorado River water users convening amid crisis concerns
Living with less water in the U.S. Southwest is the focus this week for state and federal water administrators, tribal officials, farmers, academics and business representatives, including some from Arizona, meeting about the drought-stricken and overpromised Colorado River.
As drought grinds on, Valley homeowners take advantage of xeriscape incentives
Because of cuts to Arizona’s water and the state’s climate conditions, homeowners should consider sustainable ways to use water, according to Warren Tenney, the executive director of the Arizona Municipal Water Users Association.
Western US cities to remove decorative grass amid drought
A group of 30 agencies that supply water to homes and businesses throughout the western United States has pledged to rip up lots of decorative grass to help keep water in the over-tapped Colorado River.
After long fight, tribal water bills get primary OK; far from final
A trio of bills affecting water rights and infrastructure for Arizona tribes took a step closer to becoming law Wednesday, a move one official said his tribe has been waiting for since being forced onto the reservation.
Ex-federal official to head Central Arizona Project
Former U.S. Bureau of Reclamation Commissioner Brenda Burman will be the next general manager of the Arizona entity that distributes much of the state's water from the Colorado River to major metropolitan areas.
