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water policy

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.

(Photo by Ellen O'Brien/Arizona Capitol Times)
Oct 3, 2017

ABWC represents members’ needs in complex water environment

It will take all parties working together to develop common ground solutions that will protect all of our water interests into the future. Arizona has long been recognized in the West as a leader in water policy. ABWC is playing an important role to ensure that leadership continues well into Arizona’s future.

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

CAP – Ready to meet today’s water challenges

Gov. Doug Ducey's current, hurried water policy process bears little resemblance to the proven formula for development of sound, nonpartisan water law in Arizona. Much of the focus of these invitation-only gatherings appears intent on merely criticizing (and silencing) CAP, not on resolving honest differences of opinion and developing a consensus solution to the critical issues facing us today.

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

‘LOCK’ in on addressing future water challenges

We are at the crossroads regarding additional looming challenges including drought, especially drought on the Colorado River; where our next “buckets” of water will come from; and who will be the next generation of champions who provide the vision and courage to make extremely tough decisions about Arizona’s water future.

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

Unifying Colorado River policy to avoid water shortage

Collaboration is often touted as key to Arizona’s successes in water management, and it is. We just forget how messy, cantankerous, and difficult collaborating can be. We are seeing it again this summer as the state wrestles with Colorado River and groundwater issues in a stakeholder process led by Gov. Doug Ducey.

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

Arizona water policy requires continued vision and leadership

Was this just a brief respite from 20-plus years of drought, or are we finally at the end of the latest 20- or 30-year dry cycle and ready to start the next wetter period? We don’t know the answers to those questions yet.

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.

The Colorado River is a major source of water for Arizona. The management of its supply involves numerous stakeholders and agencies.
Oct 3, 2017

No end near after 4 decades of water rights litigation

After 44 years, the adjudication of water rights in Arizona is still far from being resolved, and water policy experts say that resolving these competing claims is essential to providing certainty about water rights.

Oct 3, 2017

Preserving Arizona’s remaining rivers, streams, springs

For those of us that do not follow the intricacies of water policy, we are left asking basic questions, such as how to deal with drought and climate change? How do we manage growth and economic development opportunities sustainably to support future generations? And importantly, how can we ensure that Arizona’s last remaining rivers, streams, and springs are preserved, not just for future genera[...]

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

Let’s protect the Colorado River, and the lives that depend on it

The Colorado River Indian Tribes are seeking to protect the life of the river and potentially the lives that depend on it. Any leasing of our water beyond our borders, as other tribes have done, is complex and challenging. Yet, there could be many opportunities for mutual gains for water users in the state of Arizona and economic gains for our people.

Oct 3, 2017

It’s simple, really: Arizona’s economy is tied to water

Many of us take our water supply for granted, yet as water becomes scarcer it is more important than ever to be clear who speaks for the diverse interests and people of Arizona. Efforts are moving forward to avert a potential crisis for Arizona due to the declining reservoir levels on the Colorado River – these are very important to manage water scarcity in the short term.

Oct 3, 2017

Let’s welcome robust, uncomfortable, contentious discussion

The state of Arizona is experiencing a paradigm shift. We spent the last 30 years taking as much water off the Colorado River as possible to keep it away from California. Now, the waters of the Colorado River are not only fully subscribed each year, but over-allocated compared to the true yield of the river.

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