The WRRC’s FY 2023 call for 104(b) research grant proposals has been delayed by national level changes to the 104(b) program schedule. Interested researchers at any of Arizona’s three universities should look for the Request for Proposals (RFP) in December 2022. As usual
August 05, 2022
Initial Responses to Projected 2023 Cutbacks from Upper & Lower Colorado River Basins
Following Bureau of Reclamation (Reclamation) Commissioner Camille Touton’s June 14 presentation to the US Senate Energy & Natural Resources Committee, the Colorado River Basin states have been working to develop plans to conserve two to four million acre-feet of water in 2023 to maintain critical water levels in Lake Powell and Lake Mead. Touton called for states to have a 2023 plan ready by mid-August, promising that if the states do not act to conserve sufficient water in the Colorado River, Reclamation will act to protect the system.
On July 18, the Upper Colorado River Commission, composed of representatives from Colorado, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming, sent a letter to Commissioner Touton outlining a five-point plan for water conservation. This plan would implement financial incentives for ranchers and farmers to use less water, reinstate the System Conservation Pilot Project that ended in 2018, and call for federal funding for improved water management tools under the federal Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. The Upper Basin states expressed concern, however, that the effectiveness of their plan will be limited because “Lower Basin and Mexico depletions are more than double the depletions in the Upper Basin. Therefore, additional efforts to protect critical reservoir elevations must include significant actions focused downstream of Lake Powell.”
Arizona water leaders held a meeting of the Arizona Reconsultation Committee on July 13 to discuss Arizona’s plan for addressing the Colorado River shortages. Central Arizona Project General (CAP) Manager Ted Cooke and Arizona Department of Water Resources Director Tom Buschatzke gave a presentation on the challenges Arizona faces in consulting with other Basin states to create a 2023 plan. Real action is needed, so we can “Expect deeper reductions than previously anticipated under Tier 2 or Tier 3 in 2023” and the plan must “result in wet water reductions.” However, Buschatzke emphasized that Arizona will not give up all rights to CAP water easily, asserting that “If they want to force that outcome on us we will deal with those impacts, but we are not going to voluntarily send CAP into the mud.”
These planning efforts will likely be aided by Arizona’s recent $1.2B water infrastructure bill, signed by Governor Doug Ducey last month. In a July 22 interview on NPR’s “The Buzz,” State Representative Tim Dunn discussed how that money will be used. Some of it will be allocated for seeking to bring new sources of water into the state, such as Gov. Ducey’s proposed desalination project. Another portion of the money will focus on in-state water conservation efforts, reducing overall usage and improving water retention. WRRC Director Sharon B. Megdal was also interviewed on “The Buzz” to share her perspective on the state’s financial commitment to water.
Image: US Bureau of Reclamation
Learn More:
- Upper Basin Plan
- Upper Basin Letter to Reclamation
- Arizona’s Plan
- Arizona Reconsultation Committee Meeting
- “The Buzz” Radio Story
- Agribusiness & Water Council of Arizona News Release: Saving the Colorado River
Recent News
November 04, 2022
APW AmeriCorps Spotlight: Juliana Perez
My name is Juliana, and I am one of four AmeriCorps Water Educators in Tucson working with Arizona Project WET (APW). So much happened in our first few weeks on the job. We all jumped right into the action. As water educators, we are tasked with teaching students from 4th grade all the way through high school through APW’s different programs. During the first month, in addition to learning about water and how to lead the lessons through training and seminars, we also had firsthand teaching experiences.
November 04, 2022
Reclamation Announces New Federal Action on the Colorado River
On Friday, October 28, the US Bureau of Reclamation (Reclamation) announced the initiation of an expedited process for developing a “Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (SEIS)” on proposed revisions to the December 2007 Record of Decision relating to the Colorado River Interim Guidelines. The SEIS will lay out options to address the troubling operating conditions facing the river system now and in the future. Public comments submitted by December 20 will be reflected in the draft SEIS to be released next spring, with the final expected in late summer.
November 04, 2022
WRRC Offers Three Events in November
The WRRC has three great events lined up for this month. Next week, on Thursday, November 10, we will be hosting a Brown Bag webinar featuring two University of Arizona (UArizona) graduate students who will each present on their 104(b) research projects. The presentation from Chandler Noyes will address the paleoclimate and past recharge rates in the Tucson Basin across the Holocene.
October 28, 2022
Divine Kickingbird Receives First Rodney Blaine Lewis Scholars Award
The inaugural recipient of the Rodney Blaine Lewis Scholars Award is Divine Kickingbird, who is enrolled at the University of Arizona as a first-year law student and aims to join the graduate program in Tribal Governance.
October 07, 2022
Desalination – A Solution to Dwindling Water Supply?
Desalination is often considered as an important option for augmenting Arizona’s water supply. WRRC Director Sharon Megdal has recently been consulted for news stories from NPR and ABC regarding desalination projects.