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Colonias on the border struggle with decades-old water issues
All along the U.S.-Mexico border, about 840,000 mostly low-income, immigrant Latinos have settled in colonias – cheap plots of land outside city limits without basic infrastructure such as water and sewage systems, electricity and paved roads.
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.
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.
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.
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[...]
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.
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.
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.
Water manager’s lobbyist costs under scrutiny, ban possible
The Central Arizona Project has paid more than $2.5 million for lobbyists in Arizona and Washington D.C. over the past five years, an analysis of the agency’s lobbying contracts shows.
Governor’s Office proposes major rewrite of water laws
Gov. Doug Ducey’s office is pushing for a spate of changes aimed at altering water laws, from groundwater rules to audits of another public body.
Water policy remake stirs fight unlike others in state history
With Republican Gov. Doug Ducey convening water giants into meetings this summer, it’s become all the more apparent that major water players in Arizona, namely the state’s water department and its canal system, the Central Arizona Project, are at odds.
Agencies at odds over deal to send AZ water to California during drought
The Central Arizona Project tried to strike a deal to sell water to California for $18 million during the 2015 drought, which the state claims underscores the need for reforms to the water delivery system’s operations.
