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tom buschatzke

Jul 2, 2020

Work to protect Colorado River is far from done

Those tougher negotiations to assure the long-term sustainability of Arizona’s Colorado River supply start now. Working together, Arizona is ready for them.

(Photo by Ellen O'Brien)
Nov 15, 2019

Panel takes step to secure water supply in Pinal County

In the face of a report that says Pinal County is going dry, a small group of Arizona lawmakers took the first step in helping assure the county has enough groundwater for decades to come and avoid a potential shortfall.

Oct 1, 2019

Next step? Make AZ a strong voice among Colorado River states

It didn’t take long for the completion of the Drought Contingency Plan to create value to Arizona and the Colorado River Basin.

Aug 6, 2019

Arizona’s drought plan offers key lessons for the road ahead

rizona will need to bring the same quality of leadership and creative problem-solving that produced the DCP success story when water stakeholders resume work on the other pillars of a sustainable water future: protecting groundwater in both urban and rural areas, starting the regional process of re-negotiating the 2007 Interim Guidelines, and finding collaborative ways of conserving water while b[...]

Feb 19, 2019

Bowers yanks contentious water bill that threatened drought plan

After House Speaker Rusty Bowers created a kerfuffle by pushing a bill that threatened to tank Arizona’s efforts to sign onto a multi-state drought plan and craft a similar intrastate plan, he asked at the last minute for the contentious proposal to be held.

Jan 31, 2019

Ducey signs ‘historic’ Colorado River drought plan legislation

The governor and lawmakers celebrated passage of the Drought Contingency Plan bills as a “historic” moment that showed the state could work together to head off drastic water shortfalls on the Colorado River.

The Hoover Dam and Lake Mead
Nov 30, 2018

$100 million water deal will include $30 million from state, Ducey vows

Gov. Doug Ducey vowed Thursday to work with the state Legislature to allocate $30 million to water mitigation efforts so the state can sign onto a multi-state plan to stabilize water levels in Lake Mead, which could soon face a water shortage.

Nov 26, 2018

No Arizona drought plan in sight as deadline looms

After months of drought plan negotiations and as the deadline for Arizona to produce an internal agreement on water reductions nears, the state’s water interests have nothing to show for their efforts yet.

The calcium markings on the rock formations in Lake Mead, a Colorado River reservoir, show the impact of a 18-year drought on water levels. If the level drops below 1,025 feet, a state report says Arizona will lose access to 480,000 acre-feet of water from the Colorado River, or enough water for about a million family households for one year. (Photo by Alexis Kuhbander/Cronkite News)
Oct 29, 2018

Drought’s cost: Less water in Lake Mead, higher rates for consumers

If the lake levels dip too low, Arizona could lose about a seventh of its annual water allotment to the Central Arizona Project, which supplies much of the state’s water.

Apr 5, 2018

Water agency director insists lawmakers can give him forbearance authority

The head of the state’s water agency insists that, contrary to the conclusions of a legislative attorney, lawmakers can authorize his department to “forbear” the use of water from the Colorado River.

(Photo by Ellen O'Brien)
Oct 3, 2017

In the end, Arizona must speak with one voice

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.

Horseshoe Bend near Page is a scenic point of the Colorado River, which is a major source of water for Arizona. (Photo courtesy of Central Arizona Project)
Oct 3, 2017

Water conservation efforts avert shortage – for now

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.

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