The clock is ticking for the seven basin states, which have just one month to reach a deal portioning out Colorado River water. The current agreement expires at the end of 2026.
What we know:
After a November deadline was missed, a new one was set for Feb. 14. If the states do not reach an agreement by then, the federal government will impose its own plan.
To prepare, the federal government’s Bureau of Reclamation just released a draft environmental impact statement featuring five different proposals.
What they’re saying:
However, the continued uncertainty of what comes next worries water experts.
“We are losing time. And time is very important in this conversation because probably the most critical or unsettling, dire aspect of all of what we’re talking about is the one thing that no one can negotiate, and that’s Mother Nature,” said Cynthia Campbell, ASU director of water policy innovation.
States remain deeply divided over water cuts, and that is why some welcome government intervention.
“I think we’re at a critical point where the seven states have reached an impasse that’s been lasting for quite some time,” Campbell said. “They’ve been negotiating an agreement for almost three years. The federal government should probably do something to either push the states along or to implement a solution themselves.”
Local perspective:
It is an issue Gov. Katie Hobbs has been working to address as well.
“I will keep putting Arizona first and fight for the water we are owed,” Hobbs said, speaking to the negotiations at her State of the State address this week. “The federal government can no longer watch these negotiations from the sidelines. They must ensure the upper basin is stepping up and conserving water like Arizona does. And get a deal done.”
The region continues inching toward a deadline with the state’s water future on the line.
“If we crash the Colorado River system, if the dams and the reservoirs stop operating the way they were designed to operate, we will not be able to have reliable, sustainable deliveries anywhere in the American West,” Campbell said. “And the effects to the economy could be pretty significant.”
What’s next:
Public comment for the federal government’s plans starts on Jan. 16 and will stay open for 45 days. However, that only applies if the states do not come to their own agreement.
The Source: This information was provided by the SU director of water policy innovation and a statement from Gov. Hobbs during her State of the State address.