Arizona is gearing up for the first-ever “Tier 1” shortage on the Colorado River in 2022, which will trigger significant cuts to the state’s annual allocation from its most important water resource.  

As daunting as it sounds, the vast majority of citizens and businesses will not be affected, state water leaders said during a Colorado River Preparedness briefing last week.

Arizona is also well prepared to weather expected shortages the next few years, and is in the process of developing the next steps to protect and augment the river’s supplies as the drought persists, said the state’s top two water leaders. They held the briefing to update the public about what to expect, what the current conditions are and plans for the future. 

“This is a day we knew would come at some point and we’ve been preparing for this moment for at least a couple of decades,” said Ted Cooke, general manager of the , the entity that delivers the river water to the populous dry inland deserts including metro Phoenix, metro Tucson and Pinal County. 

“We have a plan. It’s called the Drought Contingency Plan, and we’re implementing that plan,” said Cooke, who held the briefing with Tom Buschatzke, the director of the .

One of longest droughts on record

The two seasoned water leaders have been shepherding Arizona through one of the longest, driest droughts on record.

Now, in its 21st year, the drought is causing levels to drop at the Colorado River’s two “storage tanks” — Lake Powell for the upper states and Lake Mead for the lower states and Mexico. The Colorado River basin states that feed off the river are Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming.  

Over the past two to three years, the drought has “intensified significantly,” said Daniel Bunk, chief of the Boulder Canyon Operations Office for the U.S. , who detailed the current conditions at the briefing. 

As of April 26, Lake Powell was down to 35 percent full and Lake Mead, 38 percent. When combined with water storage in other facilities, the system storage is at 43 percent, almost 10 percent lower than last year, Bunk said. 

Based on the hydrology, it is “highly likely” that the BOR will announce a Tier 1 shortage for 2022. This would require Arizona to reduce its use by 18 percent, or a total of 512,000 acre-feet, borne almost entirely by the CAP system. 

The results show a high likelihood of Tier 1 reductions in 2023 as well as an increasing risk of more drastic cuts with Tier 2 conditions in the near future. 

Most severe cuts on central Arizona farmers and ranchers

Reductions will fall largely to central Arizona agricultural users, which have low priority rights when it comes to river supplies. Cities and tribes have high priority rights and will not be affected by a Tier 1 reduction. Tier 2 cuts would be more widespread among users in order to shore up levels at Lake Mead.

While cuts next year will be “painful,” mitigation efforts, including funding from public agencies, large corporations and nonprofits are lessening the blow, Buschatzke said. 

Hardest hit, the agriculture industry in Pinal County received funding to install new groundwater infrastructure to help augment the loss of river water. 

Agreement to leave water in storage lakes is working 

The efforts came out of the historic passed by an act of U.S. Congress in 2019 to protect water levels in the two lakes. Arizona, the six other states, Mexico and the U.S. entered into the DCP, which mandates how water cuts will take place when the lakes drop to certain levels, or tiers. 

Included in the DCP is a new water level, “Tier Zero,” for extra protection. Under Tier Zero, if the water level dips below 1090 feet above sea level, reductions are triggered to leave water in the lake. In 2020 and currently, Lake Mead has been in Tier Zero. A Tier 1 shortage occurs when Mead drops to 1075 feet above sea level. 

In order to get the massive agreement sealed, public agencies, private corporations and NGOs contributed tens of millions of dollars to leave water in the lake for conservation projects and to provide aid to Pinal County farmers. Water users agreed to share some of the pain by either leaving water supplies in the lake or sharing excess water with others with lower water rights. 

Because of the DCP, water supplies are now secure for the next few years, Buschatzke said. 

“Together these efforts reduce the pain of the near-term reductions while addressing risks of future shortages,” he said. 

Next challenge: finding new water supplies 

Now, Buschatzke and Cooke are back co-leading the next drought plan negotiations. 

They are co-chairing a statewide committee, the , to start hammering out Arizona’s part of new DCP guidelines in 2026. 

More substantial cuts could be on the horizon. Pressure is on to build new infrastructure to conserve water and find other supplies beyond the river to relieve the burden on “America’s Nile.”

For additional information and updates about Arizona water efforts, visit: or .  

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The Drought Contingency Plan takes center stage in a new television advertisement that just hit the Phoenix market.

The 30-second spot features Arizona state Sen. Sine Kerr, R-Buckeye, discussing the importance of the DCP’s passage to Arizona. It was produced by the United States С��ñֱ��app of Commerce with support from the Arizona С��ñֱ��app of Commerce and Industry.

The Arizona Legislature passed the DCP in January to manage future Colorado River allocations and stave off federal intervention in Arizona’s water management strategy. Congress authorized the plan’s implementation in April.

In the ad, Kerr asks voters to thank U.S. Sen. Martha McSally, R-Ariz., for her leadership in passing the DCP in Congress.

“Martha McSally led the effort to pass the Drought Contingency Plan, keeping the water flowing and Arizona growing,” Kerr said in the ad.

Kerr said it is not common for legislation to pass through Congress as quickly as the DCP.

“I know that Sen. McSally was a champion for us in Congress and the Senate, and it went through Congress in record time,” Kerr said. “She was instrumental in that, and I’m just very proud of the work she did on DCP.”

Kerr, a Buckeye dairy farmer for nearly 40 years, said she did not hesitate when asked to appear in the ad.

“Water’s life… to farmers, to everyone,” she said. “No matter what you do, no matter where you live, water touches your life every single day.”

Water is particularly vital to Kerr and her district, which includes wide swaths of rural Western Arizona.

“We’ve made great strides to conserve water behind Lake Mead, and we already are seeing that it’s working,” Kerr said. “It’s great to see that progress, but we’re always looking ahead.”

Kerr said one of her main concerns is ensuring the water supply is secure for future generations.

“That’s really important to me, not only as a legislator but as a dairy-business owner,” she said. “We think in generations; we don’t just think the next few years. With that in mind, that’s how we look ahead is for the future generations.”

Kerr is the chair of the state Senate Water and Agriculture Committee.

This latest ad follows that aired in the Phoenix market, supported by the Arizona С��ñֱ��app and Arizona Manufacturers Council. featured Manufacturers Council Chair Dawn Grove and highlighted McSally’s advocacy for the proposed United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) on North American trade.

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Congress overwhelmingly approved a crucial drought contingency plan Monday to save the Colorado River, the most important water resource in the Southwest.

Two members of Arizona’s congressional delegation led a bipartisan effort to rush the legislation through both houses. With impressive speed, U.S. Senator Martha McSally (R) and U.S. Representative Raúl M. Grijalva (D) introduced the legislation in both houses where it moved to passage on both floors, all in one week.

There was no time to waste. The seven-state-and-Mexico agreement is a major interim step in protecting Colorado River water supplies that are vanishing under the most oppressive, longstanding drought in recorded history.

Now, the legislation is on its way to President Donald Trump for his signature.

Arizona congressional duo leads the way

During the Senate floor debate Monday, McSally spoke of the bipartisan cooperation and immediate support among the senators from the seven states. On the floor, McSally asked for and received unanimous consent to pass the legislation, called the Colorado River Drought Contingency Plan (DCP) Authorization Act.

“The passage of the DCP authorization today showcases how Congress should work: a large, bipartisan effort where we all sprang into action to deliver real results for Arizonans and the American people,” McSally said. “Arizonans want to see action and results, not political games. I am proud to lead my colleagues to authorize the DCP and look forward to seeing the President sign the bill into law.”

Earlier in the day, the House also overwhelmingly approved the DCP bill by a voice vote, expediting passage and avoiding procedural hurdles to get the bill to President Trump’s desk as fast as possible.

Grijalva, chair of the House Natural Resources Committee, said that this is the start of a new era for Arizona and other states that must plan carefully for the future of water in the Southwest.

“This bill is a central piece of conservation for the drought that has made our area more arid and made water more precious and more finite,” Grijalva said.

Drought plan will avert a water crisis��

The legislation binds the seven states, Mexico, and water holders within the states to conserve water in the river’s two storage lakes, Lake Powell and Lake Mead.

While the seven-state agreement, called the Upper and Lower Basin Drought Contingency Plan (DCP), took years to get in place, Congress did not have that luxury.

The DCP needs to be in operation this summer to avert a water crisis, states and federal water leaders told Congress during hearings last week.

The river’s two massive storage lakes are disappearing from excessive drought. The elevations of the lakes, which are the two largest man-made reservoirs in the United States, have dropped fourfold in the last decade, Commissioner Brenda Burman of the federal Bureau of Reclamation testified during the hearings.

“The period from 2000 through 2018 is the driest 19-year period in over 100 years and one of the driest periods in the 1,200-year paleo record,” she said.

Without the DCP, the lakes will likely drop to crisis levels by 2021 or 2022. With the DCP in place, that risk will be reduced 50 percent, Burman said.

Lake Powell serves the four upper basin states: Colorado, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming. The lower basin states, Arizona, California and Nevada, rely on Lake Mead.

The bill and underlying drought plan agreement lay out water reduction, storage and conservation management strategies to avoid historic lows of the lake reservoirs.

Short respite for water leaders

The new legislation will provide a stopgap to protect water elevations at the two lakes through 2026. Then a new DCP must be approved. Arizona and other water leaders already are starting to work to that end.

“It is essential. It is vital and what it means to a state like Arizona where the population continues to grow, whose demands from industry continue to grow, whose demands for water for agriculture continue to grow,” Grijalva said. “We have to make some choices down the line. They’re unavoidable but they are necessary for the generations to come, for our state and the people who reside there and their families.”

The DCP legislation received widespread support from the development community, industry, agriculture, cities, tribes, national conservation groups, non-profits, and many others. Everyone agreed to either share or conserve water to protect future supplies.

In Arizona, few worked as hard as Tom Buschatzke, director of the Arizona Department of Water Resources, and Ted Cooke, General Manager of the Central Arizona Project.

They co-chaired a committee of representatives from 40 competing water interests to craft Arizona’s part of the seven-state pact.

“The last few weeks have been one of the most extraordinary periods in the history of ADWR and a remarkable chapter in the long story of securing Arizona’s water supplies,” Buschatzke said Monday, adding that he is grateful Congress approved the Act that will prevent Lake Mead from dipping to crisis levels.

Numerous local, state, tribal and federal officials issued statements of support for the legislation during the past week including Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey. Ducey was instrumental in bringing competing Arizona water interests and funding together to finalize the DCP.

“Securing our water future is one of the most important issues we face,” Gov. Doug Ducey said. “Earlier this year, Arizona showed we know how to get big things done by coming together to pass the historic Drought Contingency Plan – allowing Arizona to join the other basin states on a comprehensive plan to conserve more water.”

Arizona’s entire congressional delegation and the Western Caucus lent their support and applauded Monday’s action. Read some of their comments at: .

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As promised, two Arizona congressional members rushed to introduce bipartisan legislation Tuesday for the ratification of a seven-state drought contingency plan to protect the shrinking Colorado River.

At the same time, seven national conservation groups voiced support and urged quick ratification of the legislation.

“Declining reservoirs threaten water supplies that are essential to the economy, environment, and health of the southwestern United States,” states a letter to congress from groups including The Nature Conservancy, American Rivers, Environmental Defense Fund and the National Audubon Society. “Now is the time we all must work together for the sake of the future of the Basin. Therefore, it is critical that we support the goals of the DCP (drought contingency plan) agreements in both basins and urge your support for these agreements.”

Broad bipartisan support

Arizona’s Sen. Martha McSally (R) and Rep. Raúl Grijalva (D) took the lead in Congress, introducing the legislation Tuesday in both houses, less than a week after they held the first hearings on the bill.

Sen. McSally noted that the legislation was developed in a bipartisan, bicameral manner to ensure that the DCP – that was forged between the seven Colorado River Basin states, Indian tribes and Mexico – can be implemented without delay while fully respecting important environmental protections in the process.

Entitled the Colorado River Drought Contingency Plan Authorization Act, the legislation has unanimous support from Arizona’s congressional delegation.

“The DCP is a state-driven solution to ensure that we continue to provide drinking water to 40 million Americans, irrigation for 5.5 million acres of farmland, and more than 4,000 megawatts of carbon-free hydropower to communities across the West,” Sen. McSally said in a prepared statement, adding that she will work to “get it urgently signed into law.”

Grijalva also vowed quick ratification.

“States worked together, and now it’s time for Congress to work together and finish this process while we still have time,” Rep. Grijalva said in a written statement. “The House will move this bill quickly and the Senate should follow suit. Any foot-dragging or needless delay is going to worsen an already risky situation for the millions of people who rely on Colorado River water every day.”

No time to waste

The agreement reached between the seven states, called the Upper and Lower Basin Drought Contingency Plan (DCP), took years to get in place. Now, Congress must act quickly. The DCP needs to be in operation this summer to avert a water crisis.

The river’s two massive storage lakes – Lake Powell and Lake Mead – are disappearing from excessive drought. The elevations of the lakes, which are the two largest man-made reservoirs in the United States, have dropped fourfold in the last decade, Commissioner Brenda Burman of the federal Bureau of Reclamation testified during last week’s hearings.

“The period from 2000 through 2018 is the driest 19-year period in over 100 years and one of the driest periods in the 1,200-year paleo record,” she said.

Without the DCP, the lakes will likely drop to crisis levels by 2021 or 2022. With the DCP in place, that risk will be reduced 50 percent, Burman said.

Lake Powell serves the four upper basin states: Colorado, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming. The lower basin states, Arizona, California and Nevada, rely on Lake Mead.

The bill and underlying drought plan agreement lay out water reduction, storage and conservation management strategies to avoid historic lows of the lake reservoirs.

Everyone came together to avert crisis

Numerous local, state, tribal and federal officials issued statements of support for the legislation including Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey. Ducey was instrumental in bringing competing Arizona water interests together to finalize the DCP.

“Securing our water future is one of the most important issues we face,” Gov. Doug Ducey said. “Earlier this year, Arizona showed we know how to get big things done by coming together to pass the historic Drought Contingency Plan – allowing Arizona to join the other basin states on a comprehensive plan to conserve more water.”

“Now, it’s Congress’ turn to move DCP forward. My thanks to Senator Martha McSally and Representative Raúl Grijalva for their leadership and urgency and to all members of Arizona’s delegation for making this issue a priority. Let’s show the country we can still work together to do the things that matter. Let’s get this done.”

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To avert a water crisis in the West, seven states and their congressional members rushed forward this week to urge Congress to approve an emergency drought contingency plan for the Colorado River.

Members of Arizona’s delegation that hold critical positions in Congress took the lead. U.S. Senator Martha McSally and Representative Raúl Grijalva quickly scheduled two hearings this week, just days after the federal Bureau of Reclamation approved the states’ plan March 19 after months of stops and starts.

Water leaders from Arizona and the other states flew in to testify at the hearings. There is no time to waste, they said. The river feeds 40 million people, 5.5 million acres of farmland, and 11 national parks, monuments and recreation areas including the Grand Canyon National Park.

The entire West’s economy relies on the mighty river.

Action is needed “immediately” to protect water supplies that are shrinking under a blistering 19-year drought, said the director of the Arizona Department of Water Resources, Tom Buschatzke, who testified at both hearings.

“Draconian reductions” to water supplies will impact the three lower basin states, Arizona, California and Nevada, said Buschatzke, who signed the agreement on behalf of Arizona.

Brenda Burman, Commissioner of the federal Bureau of Reclamation, also testified about a dire future if the plan, the Upper and Lower Basin Drought Contingency Plan (DCP), is stalled.

The river’s two massive storage lakes – Lake Powell and Lake Mead – are disappearing in spite of conservation. The elevations of the lakes, which are the two largest man-made reservoirs in the United States, have dropped fourfold in the last decade, Burman said.

“The period from 2000 through 2018 is the driest 19-year period in over 100 years and one of the driest periods in the 1,200-year paleo record,” she said.

Without the DCP, the lakes will likely drop to crisis levels by 2021 or 2022. With the DCP in place, that risk will be reduced 50 percent, Burman said.

Congress has only a week or two to act��

Burman and the water leaders from the other river states testified before the Senate Subcommittee on Water and Power that is chaired by McSally and before the Water, Oceans, and Wildlife Subcommittee of the House Natural Resources Committee, chaired by Grijalva.

The hearings are the first steps to move the drought plan through Congress.

The multi-state and Mexico agreement took years to negotiate. Now, Congress must act within a week or two or the delicately crafted deal could crumble, state and federal water leaders testified.

If the plan is not approved, water levels are more likely to drop to the dreaded “dead zone.” At that point, water can no longer pass through the turbines or continue to generate carbon-free hydropower from Hoover Dam.

The plan also needs to be in place by April or it risks an agreement the U.S. made with Mexico in 2017. Mexico has agreed to store water in Lake Mead. Without Congressional approval, the deal falls through.

Cooperation, not litigation ��

Arizona’s Grijalva (D) and McSally (R) both announced that they are introducing bipartisan legislation as soon as next week to push it on its path to the Senate and House floors.

“Now that the states have completed their work it’s time for Congress to take it across the finish line,” said Sen. McSally.

Rep. Grijalva promised quick action in the House.

“The legislation that is being introduced has the support of all seven basin states, it respects the environmental laws and it allows us to immediately authorize the DCP,�� which is very, very important given the urgency of time and the millions of people affected by what we do here.”

Without Congressional approval, water users could pull water out of the lakes to hoard it for the future. Legal battles could ensue. Relationships between the states could suffer.

“If the drought contingency plan starts to unravel, people might move back to their corners and we would lose,” Director Buschatzke stated.

Cooperation, not litigation, is the path forward, he said.

With or without the DCP, Arizona hardest hit

Arizona has the most to lose if Congress fails to approve the DCP quickly. Arizona has junior priority rights to Colorado River water, mainly due to agreements negotiated between the states when the massive Central Arizona Project (CAP) was built.

The CAP is the lifeblood of Arizona. It delivers water from the river to Arizona’s populous inland regions including metropolitan Phoenix and Tucson. Inland users have lower water rights, making them the first to get cuts to water deliveries.

Nearly 90 percent of economic activity in Arizona occurs within the CAP service area. The canal provides an economic benefit of $100 billion annually, accounting for one-third of the entire Arizona gross state product, according to the Central Arizona Water Conservation District that oversees the CAP.

With the DCP, the region will have enough water for years to come. It lays out legally binding requirements and incentives for water entities to conserve water in both lakes. Lake Mead is the storage lake for Arizona, California and Nevada, the lower basin states. Lake Powell is the storage lake for the upper basin states, Colorado, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming.

In Arizona’s DCP, large water holders including the Gila River and Colorado River Indian tribes have agreed to sell and store major allotments of water. In an agreement tied to the DCP, Gila River also has entered a 25-year deal to sell water to home builders in the growing megaregion of metropolitan Phoenix and Tucson.

As part of Arizona’s DCP, cities, tribes, government agencies, the state legislature, water districts and others agreed to share and fund needed water to store in Lake Mead. They also are including water and funding in the plan to save the robust agricultural industry in inland Pinal County. Inland farmers’ irrigation districts have the lowest priority water rights. Most of their supplies could vanish under the official water shortage without the DCP. The DCP provides the farmers with support to move away from dependence on the river.

Water shortages trigger water cuts

Even with the new DCP guidelines, Arizona is bracing for its first shortage. The plan needs to be in operation by August.

When a water shortage occurs, the DCP is triggered, cutting water supplies to users to protect lake levels. The DCP is intended to be an overlay to 2007 DCP guidelines that are no longer sufficient.

Under the guidelines, a Tier 1 water shortage occurs when Lake Mead dips to 1,075 feet above sea level. To prevent that, cuts to water supplies could be seen as soon as next year.

If Lake Mead drops below 1,090 feet, water deliveries to Arizona would be cut 6.9 percent and Nevada would be cut 2.7 percent. If the water level dips to 1,045, then California water districts agreed to take cuts.

All of the measures in the emergency plan are designed to store enough water to carry the region through 2026.

As soon as Congress approves this plan, Arizona water leaders will have no respite. They already are working on the next step.

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In a triumph for Arizona, the federal government removed a threat to take over the state’s management of its Colorado River water supplies.

The federal Bureau of Reclamation announced Tuesday that Arizona and six other states have now successfully completed their part. All of the states immediately shipped the plan to Congress for approval. Called the Colorado River Basin Drought Contingency Plan (DCP), it is designed to protect the dwindling river supplies through 2026.

“I commend the states on this important milestone,” Reclamation Commissioner Brenda Burman said at a press conference Tuesday.

Now, it’s time for Congress to act. Time is of the essence, she said. While an extremely wet winter has extended the timeline for projected water shortages, they still are likely to occur in the next year or two. Congress needs to adopt the plan prior to August 2019 to put the DCP in operation by 2020.

“Since 2000, the Colorado River Basin has experienced historic drought,” Burman said. “Currently, the combined storage of Lake Mead and Lake Powell are at their lowest levels since Lake Powell initially began filling in the early 1960s.”

She also stated that action that would have allowed other states and the federal government to intervene in Arizona’s management of the river is now “terminated.”

The Federal Register was posted when Arizona and California failed to meet an initial deadline for completion, Jan. 31. The Federal Register requested comments from March 4^th until March 19^th and both states made it in time for the deadline of March 19th.

Time for Congress to act quickly��

Governors’ representatives from the other six states flew to Phoenix Tuesday to sign the monumental agreement. As part of the pact, Arizona, California, Nevada, Colorado, New Mexico, Utah, Wyoming and Mexico have all agreed to take measures to leave water in the river’s two main “storage tanks,” Lake Mead and Lake Powell.

Within an hour of the announcement, members of Arizona’s congressional delegation were issuing promises to move it quickly forward.

“Today’s agreement marks a huge step forward in securing Arizona’s water future. I will work with my Colorado River Basin state colleagues to make sure Congress quickly does its part to make this agreement a reality,” Arizona’s senior Sen. Kyrsten Sinema said in a statement.

Sen. Martha McSally congratulated Arizona and the basin states on finalizing the deal.

“It is no small feat for the seven Colorado River Basin states to finalize this Drought Contingency Plan,” Sen. McSally said. “I applaud the hard work of local, state, and Native American stakeholders who selflessly crafted measures that will lead to a more secure water future on the Colorado River.”

As Chairwoman of the Senate Subcommittee on Water and Power, McSally already scheduled a hearing for next week. A hearing in the House is also expected next week.

Arizona is well positioned for this important act. In addition to McSally’s assignment, long-time Arizona Congressman Raúl Grijalva is chair of the House Natural Resources Committee. Rep. Grijalva, too, has committed to move swiftly.

Hundreds played a part

As news broke across the state Tuesday, many involved in the years-long effort to get the plan in place let out a temporary sigh of relief.

In Arizona, hundreds of water stakeholders, lawmakers, Gov. Doug Ducey and others worked publicly and behind closed doors to get the plan done.

A large steering committee of about 40 competing water interests negotiated feverishly for seven months to finalize intrastate agreements. The entire state legislature voted almost unanimously to approve the DCP and accompanying legislation.

Almost every water holder in the state, cities, tribes, water districts, water companies and other entities, agreed to take measures to shore up Lake Mead. As part of the agreement, tribes, cities, government agencies, lawmakers and the non-profit Walton Family Foundation are providing water or funding to help Pinal County agriculture. The thriving inland industry could have been wiped out under the current outdated DCP guidelines from 2007. Now, farmers will use the funding to build groundwater pumping wells to move away from dependence on river water.

The two state water leaders who co-chaired the committee are Tom Buschatzke, Director of the Arizona Department of Water Resources, and Ted Cooke, General Manager of the Central Arizona Project that diverts Colorado River water to the populous inland counties, Maricopa, Pima and Pinal.

Cooke expressed his gratitude Tuesday for the “tireless effort” by the steering committee.

Buschatzke said that the new DCP will prevent the lakes from dipping to crisis levels.

“The tools we created in the ‘07 guidelines have proven their success,” Buschatzke said. “We have some new tools now that will hopefully prove their success.”

“We all recognize we’re looking at a drier future, we all recognize we have to deal with that,” he said.

Work is already in motion to implement a new plan by 2026.

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The odds just got better for Arizona to meet a second federal deadline to complete its part of a seven-state drought contingency plan that kicks in with cuts to Colorado River water supplies when a shortage occurs, likely by the end of this year. That will trigger cuts in 2020.

Key stakeholders involved in negotiations for Arizona’s part of the agreement just approved one of the most critical agreements. In addition, a contentious drawn-out deal involving Pinal County agriculture is now advancing smoothly.

There’s a chance Arizona could make the new deadline.

Arizona water officials and water representatives have been rushing to finalize a dozen in-state deals to meet the new March 19 deadline for the Upper and Lower Basin Drought Contingency Plan (DCP). The plan lays out how states and water users within those states will conserve water in Lake Mead to protect future water supplies and assist water-limited users.

If the state fails to meet the deadline, it faces possible intervention from the federal Bureau of Reclamation. Arizona and California are the only two states with outstanding agreements. A Federal Register was opened on March 4^th. Governors from all of the basin states can make recommendations on how to reduce the risks the Colorado River Basin is facing.

If they are able to meet the new one, the recommendations will be discounted.

Progress was made on Thursday when the Central Arizona Water Conservation District (CAWDC) board voted unanimously on the key component, a framework agreement between the United States, Arizona and CAWDC for a program for “intentionally created surplus” (ICS). The purpose of this agreement is to develop a program for creation, accumulation and delivery of excess water by water entities like cities, tribes, water companies and water districts to preserve water levels at Lake Mead, the storage lake for river water.

“This is a huge milestone to get this brick in the wall done,” said Ted Cooke, general manager of the Central Arizona Project (CAP) that carries Colorado River water inland to Maricopa, Pima and Pinal counties.

In addition, some of the most contentious agreements involving Pinal County agriculture are now resolved and nearing completion, said Paul Orme, the attorney who has been fighting for the 200 ranches and farms in Pinal County.

They may be ready by the new deadline, Orme said.

“We’ve completed a draft of the agreement and I think we’re just about to the point where we’re ready to take it to our governing body,” he said Thursday.

Pinal County farmers decided to enter into the agreement even though they failed to secure a $20 million backstop from the state legislature. They asked for the money as a cushion as they go through the long process of getting a $20 million grant from the federal government to build well infrastructure so they can transition to dependence on groundwater.

“At the end of the day, we knew this was important overall for the state of Arizona and the Lower Colorado River Basin,” Orme said. “We’ve had a lot of assistance from a lot of folks and that was one of those calls we had to make. We don’t want to be the ones to derail the process.”

A number of stakeholders including CAP, the state legislature, the Arizona Department of Water Resources, the non-profit Walton Family Foundation, cities, tribes and others have all agreed to share or sell water or provide funding or expertise to help the farmers’ transition.

Under the DCP, Arizona has entered into agreements with California, Nevada and Mexico to conserve up to 600,000 acre feet of water in the lake.

As all parties push to get to the end, it’s still a fifty-fifty proposition. They are acting in good faith Cooke said, but the remaining minor legal and administrative steps take time.

Bureau Commissioner Brenda Burman has stated she would prefer not to intervene. It would be the first in history. But there is no time to waste.

The Southwest is experiencing the longest and most severe drought in history. Currently, Lake Mead is at 40 percent capacity. The lake is expected to drop to 1075 feet by the end of 2019. That will trigger the region’s first tier 1 shortage and cuts to water supplies to protect Lake Mead.

The Bureau of Reclamation also must seek approval for the DCP by the U.S. Congress so it can begin operation in August.

Then, back to the negotiating table. The DCP is only a bandaid to get water users through 2026, then, a new DCP plan must be put in place

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Governors in seven states have until March 19 to make recommendations about how the Lower Basin states could be required to cut back on their most important water supply, the Colorado River.

With water shortages coming as soon as 2020, Arizona and California failed to meet a March 4 deadline to submit all documents for their part of a seven-state-and-Mexico drought contingency plan to the federal Bureau of Reclamation. The plan, the Upper and Lower Basin Drought Contingency Plan (DCP), kicks in with cuts to water supplies when a shortage strikes to protect water stores in Lake Powell and Lake Mead.

Now, the Bureau is seeking input from March 4 to 19 on the Federal Register for direction from states on the DCP to protect Lake Mead that serves the three Lower Basin states, Arizona, California and Nevada.

“In the circumstance that the DCPs cannot be promptly completed in early 2019, the Department must be prepared to take actions – if needed – to respond to the increasing risks facing the Colorado River Basin,” the Federal Register notice states.

If Arizona and California submit all documents by March 19, the recommendations will be dismissed.

Arizona is currently working toward meeting the deadline. So the Bureau will not have to step in. This is the first time in history it has had to contemplate taking over a state’s water management process.

Federal officials said they have no time to waste. The DCP must go into operation in August to help stave off the Southwest’s first water shortage that is more than 50 percent likely next year.

On Monday, the Bureau made an encouraging announcement regarding California’s sole issue holding up the DCP, the cleanup of the Salton Sea. The Imperial Valley Irrigation District (IID) has been holding off on completing its part of the DCP as it seeks $200 million to clean up the inland sea that is evolving into a toxic wasteland.

As a high priority water user with senior rights to the Colorado River, the IID has proven it is able to meet its obligations to the DCP, Reclamation Commissioner Brenda Burman stated.

Last year, the irrigation district signed an agreement with the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California to leave water in Lake Mead. The agreement ensures that no more water will have to be removed from the dying Salton Sea.

“California has already found a path that ensures that the Salton Sea is not impacted by the DCP and we hope to be able to find a path to work as partners with IID to approve the DCP as soon as possible, while we continue to be a strong partner on the Salton Sea,” stated Burman, referring to its support of IID’s efforts in the past several months to secure clean-up funding from different entities.

The IID can either approve the DCP now or wait as it works with all the local, tribal and federal agencies involved in managing the Salton Sea, said Patti Aaron, a Reclamation spokesperson, in an email to С��ñֱ��app.

“Either way, we must work together to better protect water supplies for tens of millions of people across the Southwestern United States and Northwestern Mexico and improve implementation of actions to protect the declining Salton Sea and those that live in the region,” Aaron states.

Under the proposed DCP, Arizona’s river water allocation would be reduced more than 500,000 acre-feet during the first year of a shortage.

Arizona water stakeholders are rushing to complete more than a dozen intrastate agreements that lay out how water users will share, sell or store water to protect Lake Mead and provide water and funding to help the agricultural economy in inland Pinal County transition to dependence on groundwater and away from river water.

All of the agreements are falling into place but they are legal, binding documents that take time to complete, said Ted Cooke, General Manager of the Central Arizona Project that diverts Colorado River water into the populous inland areas.

Meanwhile, the Bureau of Reclamation is focused on getting a completed DCP to Congress for approval soon. Once approved, it can be implemented.

The Colorado River is the most important water resource in the southwestern U.S. and northwestern Mexico, irrigating nearly 5.5 million acres of farmland and serving approximately 40 million people in major metropolitan areas from Cheyenne to Tijuana. Along the way, it feeds 11 national parks and monuments.

Currently, the basin is scorching under the longest drought in recorded history. Combined storage in lakes Powell and Mead is at its lowest since Lake Powell initially began filling in the 1960s.

The DCP is expected to carry the states from 2000 to 2026. At that time, a new drought shortage plan will need to be negotiated. Gov. Doug Ducey and state leaders already are working to explore additional conservation efforts, new technology and other measures to secure Arizona’s water for the future.

To read more about Arizona’s journey with the Colorado River and the DCP, the Arizona С��ñֱ��app Foundation has produced a number of analyses on Arizona water policy. Read more at .

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Two Arizona congressional members are well positioned to help spur ratification of a seven-state drought contingency plan that is designed to protect parched Colorado River water supplies.

Senator Martha McSally and Representative Raúl Grijalva are the new chairs of the Senate Subcommittee on Water and Power and the House Committee on Natural Resources, respectively.

Their leadership will be critical for Arizona, especially if the federal Bureau of Reclamation contemplates something never done before: taking control of a state’s water issue.

“It’s imperative that we keep Lake Mead and Lake Powell from dropping to dangerously low levels. No one wants a federal takeover of the Colorado River,” said Rep. Grijalva, who is planning to hold a House Committee hearing on the Drought Contingency Plan at the end of March to hear from states and stakeholders.

With limited bipartisan cooperation in Washington, Arizona and delegates from the other six states could be put to the test.

Sen. McSally has said she is committed to working across the aisle in the Senate to get all the states on board and to “get the plan on President Donald Trump’s desk.”

A number of other Arizona delegates have promised to do the same including Senator Kyrsten Sinema.

“I really just want to commend the Legislature and the Governor for coming together to work through the difficult circumstances to pass the DCP and I’ll be working hand in hand with the other 13 Senators that cover this region to make sure we pass this legislation that enables our region to take steps to prevent harmful drought,” Sinema told С��ñֱ��app.

There is no time to lose.

The mighty Colorado that quenches an estimated 40 million people in seven states has been plagued by a historic, extended drought that is impacting regional water supply and other resources. The river basin is seeing its lowest 16-year period of inflow in over 100 years of record keeping. Reservoir storage at Lake Mead and Lake Powell has declined from nearly full to about half of capacity.

A panel of 40 competing water interests from across the state spent eight months struggling to finally get a contingency plan in place that details how everyone will cut back on water usage to shore up Lake Mead as well as provide water and funding for farmers in Pinal County who face water shortages that are expected to come as soon as next year.

The committee succeeded in taking the plan to the state Legislature that quickly approved it among much fanfare by the federal deadline, Jan. 31. Confident that the interstate agreement was in place and the intra-state agreements moving forward to finalization, Arizona Water Resources Director Tom Buschatzke then submitted the plan to the Bureau.

It wasn’t quite enough. Reclamation Commissioner Brenda Burman wants everything, not just the interstate agreement. Now Arizona and California – that also has not completed all of its plan – have been placed on the Federal Register.

Starting March 5, governors from the other states will be allowed to weigh in on how Arizona and California should be required to leave water in Lake Mead. After a two week period, the federal government could intervene.

But there still is an out. If Arizona and California submit everything by March 19, the Bureau will cancel any plans for comments or intervention.

Stay tuned.

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A few weeks ago, federal officials praised Arizona for passing a historic drought contingency plan and meeting a deadline to submit its part of a seven-state drought plan to protect Colorado River water supplies. Then a day later, they announced that the state still needs to tie up some “loose ends” and set a new deadline.

If Arizona parties do not complete their intra-state agreements and make the new deadline, March 4, the federal government will intervene, the Bureau of Reclamation announced Friday. California also was put on notice. Imperial Irrigation Districthas not finished its piece of the multi-state Drought Contingency Plan (DCP) and is requesting $200 million to clean up the Salton Sea. All the other five states and Mexico are done.

For stakeholders involved in Arizona, the news was a confusing letdown.

“It seems to me the state of Arizona, and this board and our staff did an amazing job and got everything together by what we stood to believe was the Bureau of Reclamation deadline on the 31st,” said Terry Goddard, a member of the Central Arizona Water Conservation District (CAWCD) board of directors that oversees Central Arizona Project (CAP) that carries the river water inland to Maricopa, Pima and Pinal counties.

“There was a big sigh of relief that we accomplished something important,” Goddard said. “This sort of change of direction is surprising.”

State leaders thought they had completed their part by submitting Arizona’s inter-state agreement and legislation to the Bureau by the Jan. 31 deadline. All that is left is administrative paperwork and the finalization of negotiated agreements between in-state parties.

Arizona and California officials are questioning the new deadline and the legality of the demand that appears to be the federal government overstepping its bounds. There’s worry that lawsuits could ensue.
Patti Aaron, a spokesperson for the Bureau of Reclamation said that everything must be signed sealed and delivered, not just the agreement between the states.

Aaron added that the Bureau is not concerned about Arizona. Most of the outstanding issues appear to be administrative in nature.

If Arizona should fail, a notice is on the that states that for 15 days starting March 4, recommendations will be solicited from governors in all seven states. That would mean control of Arizona’s Colorado River allocations could be in the hands of the federal government.

None of the Arizona agreements appear to be in jeopardy, nor is there “broad disagreement” among any parties, said Ted Cooke, general manager of the CAP, and co-chair of the statewide steering committee that engaged in intense negotiations for five months to get the DCP in place. At least one agreement is waiting on a commitment for expected funding from the federal government.

Aaron, of the Bureau of Reclamation, said this is the first time the Department of Interior has stepped forward to issue ultimatums. If Arizona completes everything by March 4, it will be removed from the Federal Register’s comment board, she said.

“I think it’s really up to the states at this point,” she said.

Cooke said he and his staff will do everything in its power to make it happen.

“We’re going to do the best we can on every single one of these things to get these done as soon as possible,” Cooke told the board. “We’re going as fast as we can, and we will get as much as we can done by March 4^th, but we will not know until March 5th whether or not we are done in the eyes of Reclamation.”

The Colorado River irrigates nearly 5.5 million acres of farmland and sustains life and livelihood for over 40 million people in major metropolitan areas including Albuquerque, Cheyenne, Denver, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Phoenix, Salt Lake City, San Diego and Tucson.

Since 2000 the Colorado River Basin has experienced its most severe drought in recorded history and the risk of reaching critically low elevations at Lakes Powell and Mead, the two largest reservoirs in the United States, has increased nearly four-fold over the past decade. Once the lakes dip to “deadpool,” water cannot flow through the turbines.

For more information about the Drought Contingency Plan, go to:

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