A statement from ADWR Director Tom Buschatzke and CAP General Manager Ted Cooke in response to the U.S. Department of the Interior announcement of actions to protect the Colorado River system and 2023 Operating Conditions for Lake Powell and Lake Mead is available HERE. Reclamation needs to take definitive action to reduce River demands throughout the Basin. But Arizona was hit hardest by the declaration with nearly one fifth of the states water supply being cut off. A spokesperson for the Arizona Department of Water Resources noted that other entities, whether private or publicly operated, have stored in excess of 13 million acre-feet of water. Scottsdale turned off its longstanding supply of water to the community on Jan. 1, calling the cutoff permanent. The states Water Bank operates by exchanging Colorado River water for long-term credits, which may then be used to access stored water in the future. Arizonans are now restricted on how much water they could use and the situation will not likely abate anytime soon. Guest Login provides access to public areas of this site. A shortage likely wouldnt have direct impacts for Valley cities until a more extreme shortage, when Lake Mead hits 1,045 feet and partially cuts water supplies that some cities rely on. An acre-foot is enough to serve roughly two to three households annually. That water can be put into the aquifers either by an injection well or a standard well, or via large recharge basins that sit over alluvial material, typically composed of layers of sand and gravel. There is a 22% chance that Published In late April 1996, Lake Powell sat at an elevation of 3,673 feet just 27 feet below its maximum capacity. But OConnell said officials will aim to spread the supply for a significantly longer period of time. The Colorado River serves 40 million people in Wyoming, Colorado, Utah, New Mexico, Arizona, California and Nevada. New predictions for Lake Mead highlight the need for additional actions on top of the 2019 Drought Contingency Plan, said Tom Buschatzke, director of the Arizona Department Water Resources. Support OregonLive. 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. Lake Havasu City, AZ (86403) Today. According to the. Matt York/AP Photo. , as well as ways to increase the share of recycled and reclaimed water. The underground storage process involves physically storing water drawn from the Colorado River in existing aquifers. Temperatures in Arizona have been steadily rising with, average summer temperatures now 1.8F (1C) higher compared to 1970 levels. LAKE POWELL, UTAH - JUNE 24: The tall bleached "bathtub ring" is visible on the rocky banks of Lake Powell on June 24, 2021 in Lake Powell, Utah. This figure shows Lake Powell's predicted water levels through 2026. For many years, Arizona water professionals have been anticipating and preparing for this shortage. They can likely triple their population under their existing allocations before they would need to acquire additional water.. In Arizona, the current drought is approaching 15 years in length and has surpassed the worst drought in more than110 years of official recordkeeping. The tribe secured water rights to a Colorado River tributary in 2014 through another federal water rights settlement. In 2022, the Colorado River is expected to experience a Tier 1 Shortage, which means that Arizona, Nevada, and Mexico have all agreed to take less water from the River for the year. The Hualapai Tribe also secured the right to lease water as part of its settlement in the lower Colorado River basin. Now, we continue to wait and see if the States can devise such a plan. The AWBAs nest egg of 3.75 million acre-feet of water is the equivalent of 1.3 times the states annual allocation of 2.8 million acre-feet of Colorado River water. It doesnt somehow default to communities on the river if it isnt transferred, Gammage said in an email. Its clear the state needs to do more beyond the water restriction from the declaration. The seven Basin States Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming were tasked with developing a plan within 60 days to accomplish this drastic reduction for a River currently producing less than 13 million acre-feet of water. Follow him on Twitter@MrJoshuaBowling. 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. Lake Powell was at 26% of capacity, 168 feet below its full elevation of 3,700 feet above sea level at the time. All Rights Reserved. In another sense, thats not good.. . Others notably the supplies provided by the Colorado River not so good. On November 8, 2022, residents in two southeastern Arizona groundwater basins voted on whether to put limits on groundwater use. The water trickles between spaces in the sand and gravel, ultimately filling, or recharging, the water table. The potential for falling below the minimum power pool increases to 25 to 35% beyond 2022. Exceptional Drought: Lake Powell then and now, family revisits 2014 houseboat trip, Dry farmland and a defunct resort; the repercussions of Lake Mead's water shortage. 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. 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, . Following more than two decades of a megadrought that has shrunk the Colorado River and drawn down the Lake Powell reservoir to levels dangerously close to the cutoff for continued hydropower production it almost sounds like a parable. Mexico also gets a share. But, as ADWR Director Tom Buschatzke said, Because of the serious nature of the drought were in and where were heading (its important) that people realize there are solutions out there and solutions already in place and on the horizon.. After 25 years, its savings balance stored underground in facilities across the state has grown to 3.75 million acre-feet. Sign up to get breaking news and information about Arizonas water industry! The rest is used along the river, primarily for agriculture in Yuma. All rights reserved (About Us). Since the beginning of 2022, Arizona has been in a Tier 1 shortage condition, which has required Arizona to leave 512,000 acre feet of its annual 2.8 million acre-foot allocation in Lake Mead. But while the state has long focused on squirreling away its excess water supply, it did not turn its attention to the question of extraction until nearly a decade ago. Hundreds of homes here get water trucked in from Scottsdale, but those deliveries will end on January 1, 2023. The fourth-priority was only part of the whole negotiations, and we walked into it with our heads held up high because at least its water, said former Hualapai Chairman Damon Clarke. Did you encounter any technical issues? State lawmakers passed a measure last year to allow local municipalities to use their own infrastructure to pump groundwater, a process known as independent recovery, to deliver to their customers. While the basins might appear as enormous swimming pools from above, AWBA officials said the designs ensure that water gets underground as quickly as possible. So what does this mean for the people of Arizona? Finally, Tier 3 is triggered if Lake Mead falls below 1,025 ft., in which case Arizona must cut its river water supply by 480,000 AF. The likelihood of a Tier 3 shortage has drastically increased since the original DCP was created in 2007. This water is about 30% of the water that flows though the CAP canals and represents about 18% of Arizonas Colorado River supply. These reports cover all 15 of Arizonas counties as well as urban areas and demographic subgroups. If you have problems enrolling, please contact Business Services Support at support@aaronline.com. 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. to either Colorados Front Range or to New Mexicos Rio Grande. This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged. But experts predict that water levels in Lake Mead will not likely recover soon amid current global warming projections and aridity. Data are available only for Lake Mead . She also noted: We accrue long-term storage credits from the storage at those facilities. Others thatrely much less on the Colorado Riverare not. To bank the unused water, the state Water Bank relies on two different processes: actually keeping water in underground storage and an exchange program known as groundwater savings. Each level of shortage is known as a tier and goes into effect when the water in Lake Mead drops to specific elevations. There are a variety of maps you and your clients can access: Long Term drought, short term drought, Agriculture commodities overlayed on drought areas, and water supply by stream flow and predicted 30-day precipitation. Meredith Deangelis lives in the community, and the thought of losing access to water keeps her up at night. WHAT DOES THE 2022 TIER 1 SHORTAGE MEAN FOR AMWUA Further to the south, Tucson officials said theyre more prepared and less affected by potential Beyond that, there needs to be an overhaul of sustainable farming practices in the industry as well the state is the, leading producers of cotton, lettuce and hay. from the shortage but this could quickly change as water levels will likely continue to plummet in the next few years. The agency did not respond to CNNs request for comment. These adjustments require time for planning, stretching their existing workforce, and a significant amount of money from already set budgets for 2023. 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. The region has suffered from a long-term drought, and Lake Mead water levels have declined significantly over the past two decades. This is a life-changing moment for the Hualapai Tribe and the many members of the Tribal Council who have worked toward this goal for more than a decade, tribal Vice Chairman Scott Crozier said in a statement Thursday. The bank never intended to fully firm 100 percent; we knew we would never have enough credits to do that, she explained, referring to the technical term for using the stored water to shore up supplies. Lake Mead's drop is the result of an ongoing megadrought that's persisted for 22 years. A 2019 Drought Contingency Plan (DCP) triggers automatic cuts for different tiers. Now it seems, Arizona water cutbacks will begin in January 2022. with cattle and dairy being the top agricultural products. It certainly is. 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. Tier 1 shortage. In my opinion, look somewhere else we need to be able to sustain ourselves.. The writing has been on the wall for years that the Colorado Rivers yearly overallocation would eventually catch up to it. The state Department of Water Resources likewise requires storage facilities to monitor water levels and water quality. The Cities along the river currently use less than half of their existing municipal entitlement. The legislation includes more than $310 million for the Hualapai tribe to build out a water delivery system. Now that it is here, what does it mean, and how does it impact Arizona and the AMWUA cities? But water shortage in Arizona is also pitting small towns against fast-growing metropolitan communities. Arizona. The cities will continue to plan, manage, conserve and invest in their water supplies and infrastructure to ensure they are prepared for any short-term or long-term challenges that may arise. Without that, I couldnt even begin to tell you how big the cuts to Arizona would be. 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. The 2019 Drought Contingency Plan is an agreement signed by all 7 Colorado River Basin States created to reduce drought risk and protect the most important water resource in the western US. 2023 Center for the Future of Arizona. Reclamation says more cuts are needed. AMWUA (Arizona Municipal Water Users Association), 3003 N. Central Ave., Suite 1550, Phoenix, AZ 85012, 2023 Arizona Municipal Water Users Association. In 2019 the Arizona State Legislature passed, the Governor signed and the United States Department of Interior approved the DCP, the Drought Contingency Plan. Colorado River Annual Operating Plan for 2021, Joint Colorado River Shortage Preparedness Briefing. The facilities tend to be a popular choice given both their low cost and low technology requirements, making them easy to operate and monitor. Water availability is a high concern. The modeling projections show that the total Colorado River System Storage is at 39% capacity, down from 49% at the same time last year. The minimum power pool was designed to protect the framework of the Glen Canyon Dam. But as the climate crisis continues to intensify, Arizona has been embattled with a myriad of issues, chief among them being the increasing threat of water shortage and scarcity. The big picture: The bureau declared that the Colorado River basin will be in a Tier 2 shortage starting in 2023, meaning Lake Mead's water level will fall below 1,050 feet. While the AWBA operates the water banking system, it doesnt actually own any facilities. Even after investing billions in treatment plants and infrastructure to utilize Colorado River water, the ten AMWUA cities have been preparing for years to receive less water from the River. Theres over 70 feet of purposely conserved water in Lake Mead when you look at the cuts and the conservation. 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. On May 6, 2021, the Arizona Department of Water Resources published the April 29th Joint Colorado River Shortage Preparedness Briefing. Those recharge facilities are owned and operated by the Central Arizona Water Conservation District, local governments or even the Salt River Project, a public utility. Lake Powell upstream on the Colorado River is similarly experiencing water dropping to its lowest level since it was filled in the 1960s. WebThis August, the Bureau of Reclamation declared a Tier 2a for the Colorado River system for calendar year 2023. Of our Colorado River water, about 1.5 maf moves through a Central Arizona Project (CAP) canal into the metro areas of Phoenix and Tucson. The reductions waiting to be fully carried out under Tier 3 of the DCP agreement are substantial. You might also like: Lake Mead and Colorado River Basin Water Shortage: Causes, Effects, and Policy Solutions. Central Arizona Water Conservation District board President Terry Goddard said last month that his agency predicts almost for certain that even larger Tier 3 cuts another 720,000 acre-feet could affect the state as early as 2024 (Greenwire, May 4). Each city is prepared for Tier 2 and even Tier 3 shortages because they have invested in diverse and reliable water portfolios, funded infrastructure and technology, stored water underground, instilled a conservation ethic, and have drought and shortage preparedness plans. Municipal water users are currently spared. In the first year of operations, the Arizona Water Banking Authority set aside 300,000 acre-feet of water. For alternative water sources, there has been discussions of pumping floodwaters from the Mississippi River basin to either Colorados Front Range or to New Mexicos Rio Grande. She continued: But it is a finite supply, and once those credits are gone, theyre gone. That water will instead be kept in Lake Mead, whichprovides much of Arizonas water. Outside the city limits of Scottsdale, where the asphalt ends and the dirt road begins, is the Rio Verde Foothills community. My main concern with all of this is the precedent that is setting, that is whats so scary, Irwin told CNN. CAP and ADWR authored a Colorado River Shortage Fact Sheet you can read for more information, but here are the highlights: Arizona will have a substantial cut to its Colorado River water allocation with the bulk of the cuts falling on Central Arizona agriculture water users. Grady Gammage, an attorney representing the Greenstone investment firm, told CNN that the water can be transferred to wherever the owner chooses. A Julyreport from the U.S. Bureau of Reclamationsays Lake Mead, which is the nations largest reservoir, is just 35% full at nearly 1,068 feet above sea level. Water levels on Lake Mead, the largest reservoir in the US, is currently experiencing historic low-water levels, caused by the ongoing 20-year-long megadrought in the US West, as well as reduced snowpack in the Rocky Mountains where it usually provides a steady supply of water as it melts. Kathleen Ferris, a senior research fellow with the Kyl Center for You can access the Arizona drought map and search specific cities, counties and zip codes for drought conditions on drought.gov. For Arizona, a Tier 1 Shortage results in an estimated 30% reduction to Colorado River supplies delivered by the Central Arizona Project (CAP) to water users in Maricopa, Pinal, and Pima counties. This is especially true for municipal water providers, who need greater precision of what to expect from such an important water supply as they continue to make critical management decisions that will impact millions of residents and future generations. 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