As Midwest states struggled with record spring flooding this year, the Southwest was wrestling with the opposite problem: not enough water. On May 20, 2019, federal officials and leaders from seven states signed the Colorado River Drought Contingency Plan, a sweeping new water management agreement for this arid region. The plan is historic: It acknowledges that […]
Colorado River Water Users Association
Posted inEnvironment, Growth, News, Water
Even after a rush of snow and rain, the thirsty Colorado River Basin is “not out of the woods yet”
Colorado’s water year has been extraordinary. After nearly 20 years dominated by drought, a combination of heavy storms, persistent precipitation and cold temperatures conspired for a water bonanza not seen in decades. Today, rivers are swollen, ample snow lingers in the mountains and the statewide snowpack sits at 3,700 percent of normal (just one of […]
Posted inEnvironment, Growth, News, Politics and Government, Water
Arizona will miss deadline for Colorado River drought plan that impacts water for millions, officials say
By Jonathan J. Cooper, The Associated Press PHOENIX — Arizona won’t have all the pieces of a Colorado River drought plan finished by the federal government’s deadline to finalize protections for water used by millions across the U.S. West, state water officials said Tuesday. It’s the latest hurdle threatening the plan between seven states to take less water from […]
Posted inEnvironment, News, Outdoors, Politics and Government, Water
Arizona lawmakers under pressure to approve seven-state Colorado River drought plan before federal deadline
Years of drought planning between the seven Western states that rely on the overtaxed, climate-withered Colorado River comes down to Arizona lawmakers in the next two-and-half weeks. With a federal deadline of Jan. 31 for the states to forge a collaborative Drought Contingency Plan, Arizona remains the lone holdout. The plans for each of the […]
Posted inEnvironment, Growth, News, Politics and Government, Water
“We all know the clock is ticking”: Colorado, other western states to meet at deadline on Colorado River drought plan
By Ken Ritter, The Associated Press LAS VEGAS — With drought entering a second decade and reservoirs continuing to shrink, seven Southwestern U.S. states that depend on the overtaxed Colorado River for crop irrigation and drinking water had been expected to ink a crucial share-the-pain contingency plan by the end of 2018. They’re not going to […]