Tag Archive for: Arizona Department of Water Resources

Southwest Water Leaders Sign MOU to Explore Framework for Interstate Exchanges

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Today, the Bureau of Reclamation and agencies in California, Nevada and Arizona signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) at the Claude “Bud” Lewis Carlsbad Desalination Plant to jointly explore new water supply solutions for the Colorado River Basin.

The MOU aims to improve long-term water management in the Colorado River Basin by advancing discussions to develop a framework that could allow for interstate water exchanges. The goal is to discuss a pathway that would allow agencies to partner across state borders on desalination, recycled water and other water supply projects that would benefit multiple states.

The MOU was signed by the Bureau of Reclamation, San Diego County Water Authority, Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, Southern Nevada Water Authority, the Arizona Department of Water Resources, Central Arizona Project and Salt River Project.

Interstate exchanges can be an important next step in successfully managing limited Colorado River supplies in the future by allowing shared financing of new supply projects that, through operational flexibility, could provide water to participating agencies when they need it most – taking advantage of variations in local hydrology across the Basin and other factors. Future water exchanges would use existing infrastructure and avoid costly new infrastructure without changing or reallocating existing rights or obligating parties to projects.

Long-term drought has reduced Colorado River system water storage to about 36% of capacity, and the combination of the lowest snowpack on record and record-breaking heat has further intensified drought conditions. These compounding factors create elevated risks to essential water and power infrastructure that supply water to more than 43 million people, underscoring the need for near-term actions to balance supply and demand.

What the signatories said:

“Next-generation strategies in the face of climate volatility must include interstate partnerships that deliver water where it’s needed most.  We appreciate the collaboration with the Bureau of Reclamation and all the other agencies involved. New ideas are challenging to implement, but it’s in everyone’s best interest to make this work.” – Dan Denham, General Manager, San Diego County Water Authority

“Across the Colorado River Basin, water users are developing new supply projects to reduce reliance on the river. But some of the larger projects require significant investment. The MOU signed today demonstrates our commitment to discussing how to develop flexible partnerships across borders to pool funding, advance projects, and allow water to be shared when and where it is needed most.” – Shivaji Deshmukh, General Manager, Metropolitan Water District of Southern California

“As Colorado River conditions grow more challenging, regional partnerships like this are an essential tool to help ensure sustainable water supplies. This agreement allows us to explore forward-thinking, strategic investments that will strengthen water resilience in Southern Nevada and across the Lower Basin.” – John Entsminger, General Manager, Southern Nevada Water Authority

“This is an important step in addressing the goal of augmenting the water supplies of the Colorado River by creating a mechanism to deliver those supplies through an exchange using existing infrastructure. It represents the kind of innovation that Arizona and its Lower Basin partners believe is needed from all the Colorado River states to help stabilize the system in the long term.” – Tom Buschatzke, Director, Arizona Department of Water Resources

“This MOU is important because we are agreeing to discuss innovative ways to help each other and secure our future water supplies. When you have good partners, you can find collaborative opportunities that benefit all.” – Brenda Burman, General Manager, Central Arizona Project

“This agreement demonstrates the Lower Basin states’ commitment to work together to explore ways to supplement our water supplies as we continue to experience Colorado River shortages. SRP supports collaborative and strategic options and projects to develop and deliver resilient and reliable water for all of Central Arizona.” –  Leslie Meyers, Salt River Project Associate General Manager and Chief Water Resources Executive

California, Arizona, Nevada Join in Plan to Protect Colorado River Amid Climate Change

/in , , /by /Times of San Diego

California, Arizona and Nevada on Wednesday offered what they described as significant concessions on how much Colorado River water they claim, as their counterparts nearer the river’s source proposed more modest changes that would protect their rights.

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Wall Street is Thirsty for Its Next Big Investment Opportunity: The West’s Vanishing Water

/in , /by /CNNby Lucy Kafanov

Situated in the Sonoran Desert near the Arizona-California border is the tiny rural town of Cibola – home to roughly 300 people, depending on the season.

Life here depends almost entirely on the Colorado River, which nourishes thirsty crops like cotton and alfalfa, sustains a nearby wildlife refuge and allows visitors to enjoy boating and other recreation.

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California Releases Its Own Plan for Colorado River Cuts

/in , , /by /AP Newsby Kathleen Ronayne and Suman Naishadham

California released a plan Tuesday detailing how Western states reliant on the Colorado River should save more water. It came a day after the six other states in the river basin made a competing proposal.

In a letter to the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, California described how states could conserve between 1 million and nearly 2 million acre feet of water through new cuts based on the elevation of Lake Mead, a key reservoir.

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States Miss Deadline to Address Colorado River Water Crisis, Pressure Builds on California

/in , , /by /Los Angeles Timesby Ian James

The seven states that depend on the Colorado River have missed a Jan. 31 federal deadline for reaching a regionwide consensus on how to sharply reduce water use, raising the likelihood of more friction as the West grapples with how to take less supplies from the shrinking river.

In a bid to sway the process after contentious negotiations reached an impasse, six of the seven states gave the federal government a last-minute proposal outlining possible water cuts to help prevent reservoirs from falling to dangerously low levels, presenting a unified front while leaving out California, which uses the single largest share of the river.

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Colorado River Water Managers Optimistic About Drought Plan as Deadline Looms

/in , , /by /Las Vegas Review-Journalby Colton Lochhead

Western water managers are optimistic that a deal to buoy the drought-stricken Colorado River can be pieced together in the waning days before a deadline set by the federal government rolls around next week.

The Bureau of Reclamation has given the seven states in the basin until the end of January to propose their own plan for voluntary reductions needed to prevent the river’s two main reservoirs from crashing, or risk the federal government moving forward with its own measures that would most likely result in mandated cuts.

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Arizona Restricts Farming to Protect Groundwater Supply

/in , , /by /AP Newsby Felicia Fonseca

The outskirts of Kingman, Arizona, used to be a place where pilots would train and recreationists tested their all-terrain vehicles. The dry and empty landscape has since morphed into something much more green that supports pistachio and almond orchards, and garlic and potato fields in a climate similar to California’s Central Valley. The crops are fed by groundwater that also serves the city of Kingman.

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Winter Storm Hit Tahoe With ‘Win-Win’ Scenario — Here’s How Much Snow Region Got

/in , , /by /San Francisco Chronicleby Jack Lee

The winter storm that dropped rain across the Bay Area dumped snow on the Sierras and ski resorts across Tahoe. Heavy snow and slick roads also made for dangerous driving conditions but the precipitation is a boon for California’s water supply. Building on gains during a storm in early November, this latest storm brought statewide snowpack up to 106% of normal for December 1, according to the California Department of Water Resources.

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Most California Water Agencies Have Enough Supply to Meet Demand Through June

/in , /by /Spectrum Newsby Susan Carpenter

The majority of California’s urban water suppliers will be able to meet consumer demand through next June, according to a new report from the state’s Department of Water Resources. Released Monday, the agency’s first-ever report on annual water demand and supply found that 338 of 414 urban water suppliers, including those that serve the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, anticipate no annual shortage with continued conservation.

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Sinema Meets With Regional Water Officials to Talk About $4B in Colorado River Drought Aid

/in , , /by /AZ Centralby Zayna Syed

Sen. Kyrsten Sinema introduced a new water advisory council at Hoover Dam on Monday to discuss how to spend $4 billion in water and drought aid included in the Inflation Reduction Act.

The $4 billion is meant to stave off the worst effects of drought across the Colorado River system, which is suffering from overuse and two decades of drought exacerbated by climate change.

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