Feb 2, 2023 UPDATE
Updates Feb 2, 2023
I’m watching the final pipe sections of the drought contingency pipeline being placed into the ground in my neighborhood here in Phoenix. That’s good, since the CAP allocation has been cut by about 20% into the city.
So, what’s happened recently in the water situation? Well, in just the last week, six of the seven Colorado River states have come to an agreement to limit their
water withdrawals by about 2 million acre-feet. (An acre-foot is about enough water to supply 2 or so households for a year). However, California is still holding out in spite of the fact that its reservoirs are up quite high for the year from the recent deluge of rains. Could this be because California is beholden to the vegetable growers in the region south of the Salton Sea? Recent reports suggest that California is holding out to leverage their position vis a vis planned legal challenges to their allocation in the future. In any case, what’s needed is a comprehensive plan that all seven states can agree to. Still, six out of seven is pretty good and represents progress.
It’s looking more and more that the Bureau of Reclamation will have to step in and direct the cuts that need to take place. This is especially because two million acre-feet of cuts will only get us to a point where the reservoirs will stop dropping temporarily. (Some estimates put that number at 4 million acre-feet!
Also, reports suggest that even with a Bureau of Reclamation mandate, the states, especially California, will bring multiple lawsuits in Federal court based on their understanding of the current water laws of the West. That doesn’t bode well for
The future of the reservoirs, especially if we get a warmer than average spring, and see some of the recent inflows evaporate away or run into the ground faster than normal. Stay tuned!!!
Additional news: Recently, the state of Arizona was presented with a proposal for a 5 billion dollar de-sal plant in the Gulf of Baja by an Israeli firm – of course, with a majority Republican legislature in Phoenix, no action has been taken.
