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Tomorrow is the deadline for a deal among the seven states that share water from the Colorado River, and one state, Arizona, is holding out. The water plan agreed to by the other states back in December, confronts the long-running drought in the region, the resulting dwindling supply of water from the River, and how the states can ensure river water does not get overused. Arizona was the only state that required the plan be approved by its Legislature, which according to the Associated Press, has made the negotiations on the drought contingency plan more complex. What if Arizona does not meet the deadline? Then the Department of Interior will allegedly ask the other states for their views on how to divide the limited pool of water, and then the federal government will rule unilaterally.
A shortage of water is predicted to hit in August — the plan is needed to deal with the immediate shortage and shortages in the future
The Colorado River supplies water to 40 million people across Wyoming, Colorado, Utah, New Mexico, Arizona, Nevada and California
The settlement is not mandatory — the federal government has the authority to take action to address the shortage of water
The AP reported that under the plan, Arizona must reduce its use of Colorado River water by up to 700,000 acre-feet, which is a tall order – that is more than twice Nevada’s yearly allocation. An acre-foot is enough for one to two households a year. Arizona lawmakers have introduced legislation but they are still working out the details, including some dealing with tribal water rights. The agreement is actually international — Mexico also has agreed to cutbacks in the water it can expect to draw from the Colorado River.
Why This Matters:The situation for water in the southwest will only get worse due to climate change. Arizona is over a barrel, literally, and some of the other states are starting to take pre-emptive action in the event that Arizona does not sign on to the deal. The stakes for the region could not be higher. The federal government has largely been able to take a back seat and let the states come together around a deal, but the Interior Department will be under pressure to cut back on Arizona’s water deliveries soon unless they can agree. If it falls apart at the last minute, one thing is certain, there will be litigation. And water shortages all around.
By Ashira Morris, ODP Staff Writer For decades, uranium mining has contaminated the Navajo Nation, causing higher cancer rates and water pollution. Even though the health risks and environmental harms of uranium mining are well-established, new operations continue to move forward. One local group, the Eastern Navajo Diné Against Uranium Mining (ENDAUM) hasn’t found a […]
By Natasha Lasky, ODP Staff Writer California Governor Gavin Newsom announced that he would extend the drought emergency statewide and issued an executive order to have residents conserve water. As part of this effort, eight new counties were added to the state of emergency, and authorized the State Water Resources Control Board was authorized to […]
By Elizabeth Love, ODP Contributing Writer Authorities in the Canadian Arctic territory Nunavut, announced a state of emergency this week due to a possible contamination event affecting the City of Iqaluit’s water supply. Tests were performed after residents reported the smell of gasoline coming from their tap water, but they came back clean. However, […]
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