Tony Davis A federal plan to spend $250 million to conserve enough Colorado River water to raise Lake Mead 10 feet this year could delay the onset of mandatory, uncompensated cuts to Tucson's Central Arizona Project supplies, forecasts show.
People are also reading… The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation's recent announcement that it will spend the money to compensate river water users for reducing their take could have another benefit, as well. It should greatly improve the chances of the seven river basin states reaching an agreement without litigation for a deal over much larger cuts in their use, Arizona's top water official said.
The federal agency didn't specify who will get the money and how much each individual user who receives it will cut their take from the river. It said it's still finalizing contracts with water users. Details should be released by the end of this month, said Marisol Samayoa, Kelly's deputy communications director.
Tucson impactMandatory cuts in CAP deliveries to Tucson won't be required under the current federal drought contingency plan until Mead falls below 1,025 feet at the end of a calendar year. But that would be a voluntary cut in return for compensation, as opposed to the mandatory cuts called for under the existing federal drought contingency plan. And Tucson might also have to swallow a mandatory cut in the near future when and if the seven-state river basin negotiations come up with a compromise solution, or when and if the bureau imposes its own cuts if the states don't reach agreement.
"It buys us more time, as we work together on long-term solutions — some from the Inflation Reduction Act, others from the long-term, Bipartisan Infrastructure Law" that Congress passed in 2021, Kelly said. The smaller the amount of uncompensated water use cuts that can’t be mitigated by additional, replacement supplies,"the less likely there will be litigation," Buschatzke said.
"Moving forward, I’m very optimistic that these funds, both in the near term and the long term, can get us to a positive outcome regarding collaboration," the director said. California’s Colorado River users"expect to utilize this available funding for near-term and long-term programs and projects that will reduce use from the river," Hamby said.
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