Environmental and Natural Resources

Pinal Active Management Area Stakeholders Address Projected Water Deficit

by L. William Staudenmaier In November 2019, the Arizona Department of Water Resources (ADWR) released the results of an updated groundwater model that projects a groundwater availability deficit over the next 100 years in the Pinal Active Management Area (AMA) in central Arizona.  The 100-year projection is driven by Arizona’s Assured Water Supply program, which […]

| 4 min read | Tagged: , , , , ,
WS

Colorado River Basin States Inch Closer to Agreements on Drought Contingency Plan as Bureau of Reclamation Sets Deadline

by L. William Staudenmaier As members of the Colorado River Water Users’ Association gathered for their annual meeting in Las Vegas last week, the States of Arizona and California appeared to be making progress towards approving agreements needed to implement a basin-wide drought contingency plan or “DCP.”  It appears they are doing so just in […]

| 3 min read | Tagged: , , ,
WS

Divided Arizona Supreme Court Greenlights Major Development in Southern Arizona

by L. William Staudenmaier On August 9, 2018, the Arizona Supreme Court issued a decision with potentially important implications for future residential and commercial development in Arizona. In Silver v. Pueblo Del Sol Water Company, a divided court held that the Arizona Department of Water Resources (“ADWR” or the “Department”) properly applied a long-standing regulation implementing […]

| 5 min read | Tagged: , , , , , ,
WS

U.S. Supreme Court Considering Case with Major Implications for Western Water Rights

By L. William Staudenmaier Several months ago, an earlier post in this blog described a decision by the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals that recognized a federal reserved water right to groundwater [see Ninth Circuit Holds that Federal Reserved Water Rights Extend to Groundwater]. The Ninth Circuit’s decision has very significant implications for water users […]

| 5 min read | Tagged: , ,
WS

Ninth Circuit Holds that Federal Reserved Water Rights Extend to Groundwater

by L. William Staudenmaier On March 7, 2017, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals issued its decision in Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians v. Coachella Valley Water District, Case No. 15-55896.  In this decision, the Court unequivocally held that under the well-established “Winters doctrine,” federal reserved water rights for an Indian reservation extend to […]

| 6 min read | Tagged: , , , , , ,
WS

As Lake Mead Dwindles, Arizona and Other Colorado River Basin States Continue to Plan for a Drier Future

by Bill Staudenmaier It has become a familiar refrain.  For each of the past three years, the United States Bureau of Reclamation, which operates the major reservoirs on the Colorado River, has announced a new “record low” water elevation in Lake Mead.  A quick Google search identifies articles or posts discussing this downward trend in […]

| 4 min read | Tagged: , , , , , ,
WS