While the Water Bank has yet to have to offer withdrawals from its resources, its recent annual report suggests that could change as early as 2025. In general,housing and development use less water than agriculture. Now, we continue to wait and see if the States can devise such a plan. For over 50years, the Arizona Municipal Water Users Association has worked to protect our member cities' ability to provide their communities with assured, safe, and sustainable water supplies. . Guest Login provides access to public areas of this site. When the state began operating the banking authority in 1997, Arizona wasnt using its full allocation of Colorado River water, which amounts to 2.8 million acre-feet annually. Explaining Arizona waterthe issues, policies, management strategies, drought, conservation, and stewardship. The Bureau of Reclamations latest projections indicate that there is a 59% chance that a Tier 3 shortage could be triggered by the year 2025. Further to the south, Tucson officials said theyre more prepared and less affected by potential Published To print or save this week's blog, a PDF version is available HERE. Officials didnt want to give up the precious resource and were concerned that California could move to claim the unused portion in federal court. You can watch the CAP to TAP event video in which we take you from the waters Colorado River origin, to groundwater replenishment, through the system to the point the water comes out your faucet. AMWUA (Arizona Municipal Water Users Association), 3003 N. Central Ave., Suite 1550, Phoenix, AZ 85012, 2023 Arizona Municipal Water Users Association. This water is about 30% of the water that flows though the CAP canals and represents about 18% of Arizonas Colorado River supply. According to the. Water in Arizona Is My Property in an AMA or INA? Prior to DCP, Arizona water users voluntarily conserved a portion of the States allocation in Lake Mead. They also cite the costs that come with repairs toaging infrastructure in older parts of town and installing new infrastructure in younger parts of town where growth has exploded. For over 50 years, the Arizona Municipal Water Users Association has worked to protect our member cities ability to provide assured, safe, and sustainable water supplies to their communities. While unchanged water usage rates can mostly be attributed to the economys transition from one that is based largely on agriculture to urban, decades of conservation efforts including the, Arizona Groundwater Management Act of 1980. and year-long mandatory water conservation measures have certainly helped. Municipal water users are currently spared. If a Tier 3 shortage occurs, Arizona would have to give up 720,000 acre-feet of its apportionment, which would restrict water usage in municipalities. Municipalities and tribes have the highest CAP priority and will not face water reductions in 2022. Already, the tribe has committed to leaving water in Lake Mead the largest human-made reservoir in the U.S. West to help ensure Hoover Dam can continue generating power and deliver water to Arizona, California, Nevada and Mexico in the lower Colorado River basin. Reclamation has granted the Basin States an unspecified amount of time to continue negotiating and see if they can overcome provincial self-interests and develop a wholistic approach for protecting the River for all users. Nearly empty reservoirs quickly rose, including Lake Mead and Lake Powell, the largest man-made reservoirs in the country that hold back Colorado River water. Arizonans are now restricted on how much Federal officials predict there is a 57 percent chance that in January 2020, water levels at Lake Mead will fall below 1,075 feet (above sea level), triggering a Tier 1 shortage. Water, as described at the start of a panel discussion Tuesday on Arizonas water supplies, is one of the hottest topics around.. appreciated. Arizona also needs to rapidly invest and diversify its water sources. This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Feds should declare a Tier 3 An acre-foot is enough to serve roughly two to three households annually. Tribes often trade potentially huge water claims for the promise of federal funding to deliver water to their citizens. Considering Arizona relies more than 40% of water supplies from groundwater, lawmakers need to address the unregulated drainage of rural groundwater by industrial farms. One of the provisions was a plan by the lower basin states and Mexico to share in water cutbacks, if needed, between 2020 and 2026. Did you encounter any technical issues? This decline in Lake Mead will trigger a Tier 1 Shortage declaration, and therefore, less water will be delivered from the Colorado River. Supplemental water deliveries to Lake Powell began in July 2021 under emergency provisions of the 2019 Drought Response Operation Agreement. Reclamation and state leaders must pursue a more long-term sustainable approach to managing the Colorado River rather than trying to make marginal cuts that barely help avert shortage from year to year. All Rights Reserved. It is worth noting that despite a population increase of six million residents since 1957, Arizona has been using about the same amount of water now as they did then. Democratic Sen. Elizabeth Warren from Massachusetts and Rep. Ro Khanna, a Democrat from California, recently introduced a bill aimed at preventing large corporations from profiting off water rights. Community Rules apply to all content you upload or otherwise submit to this site. These proactive measures and long-term planning efforts are necessary in our arid state and have ensured reliable water supplies during times of drought and shortage. Based on 2017 statistics, the total statewide water use was approximately 7 million acre-feet, in which 72% was used for agricultural purposes, 22% for municipal use while the remaining 6% was used for industries. The unused groundwater is then recorded as banked. According to the Arizona Department of Water Resources, 1 acre-foot of water or the amount of water required to fill a single acre of land to a depth of 1 foot is enough to serve up to 3.5 single-family households annually. She continued: There is no more excess water for us to store. Projections of Lake Powell indicate the potential of falling below the minimum power pool as early as July 2022. Read More Education November 14, 2022 WRRC 104 (b) RFP Coming in December The WRRCs FY 2023 call for 104 (b) research grant proposals has been delayed by national level changes to the 104 (b) program schedule. FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. (AP) A Native American tribe that has one of the largest and most secure rights to Colorado River water now has approval to lease some of it in Arizona, a state thats been hardest hit by cuts to its water supply and is on a perpetual search for more. Thats because last summer, for the first time ever, drought conditions forced the federal government to declare a tier 1 water shortage in the Colorado River, reducing how much Arizona can use. Lake Powell was at 26% of capacity, 168 feet below its full elevation of 3,700 feet above sea level at the time. Municipal water providers face operational challenges with their treatment plants and delivery systems without knowing how significant a cutback will be required from their Colorado River water supply. Grady Gammage, an attorney representing the Greenstone investment firm, told CNN that the water can be transferred to wherever the owner chooses. 2. ARIZONA, USA The Bureau of Reclamation on Wednesday released updated modeling projections of reservoir levels for lakes Mead and Powell and said the latest outlook for both bodies of water along the Colorado River is troubling. Wednesday's announcement comes as the Biden administration pursues a whole-of-government approach to drought mitigation via the Interagency Drought Relief Working Group, the bureau said. From the latter, water could then be pumped to the Gila Rivers headwaters and flow to Phoenix in Arizona. RELATED: Exceptional Drought: Lake Powell then and now, family revisits 2014 houseboat trip. A Tier 3 shortage would impact the amount of water available to Arizona cities and tribes, according to the Central Arizona Project. 2019 Drought Response Operation Agreement. The drought-stricken Southwest got a reprieve this year with average and above-average snowfall following a year that sent many states into extreme drought. Bruce Babbitt served as governor of Arizona from 1978 to 1987 and as secretary of the U.S. Department of Interior from 1993 to 2001. Privacy Policy and Cookie Statement updated 7/1/2022). Now Arizona is experiencing that junior status. While Arizonas water banking system isnt the only one in operation other storage schemes exist in places like California, which is home to 517 groundwater basins it is unique in that it does not serve as a clearinghouse, or a middleman that sells and exchanges water credits from users with excess to those in need. According to the Water Banks annual report, a Tier 3 status, which could be less than two years away, would trigger the maximum release of 120,000 acre-feet per year, split among tribes, municipalities and industrial users. Confirm Logout HOW DOES A TIER 1 SHORTAGE IMPACT ARIZONA? So what does this mean for the people of Arizona? Theres been a lot of planning behind this, knowing that the Colorado River is structurally overallocated, said Teri Wenck, Fitch Ratings director of U.S. public finance, which in July predicted that the looming shortage would pass costs onto Arizona cities. Due to its dry desert climate, Arizona is home to some of the worlds most stunning and unique landscapes, from the Red Rock State Park and the iconic Grand Canyon. If the projected level falls below 1,075 feet of elevation above sea level, a shortage is declared, and Arizona must cut back its use of water. Participants in the program include large and small cities on the Colorado River, irrigation districts, tribal nations and even private businesses, like Resolution Copper Mining. Though Phoenix has more than an adequate supply of water in non-shortage years, residents and business owners are encouraged to embrace a desert lifestyle. Decreasing the River's demand today will protect the River's future, benefiting everyone. 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