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The Law of the Colorado River:  An Opportunity for Change

The Department of Interior announced on Monday, May 22, 2023 an agreement with the Lower Basin states to conserve 3 million acre-feet (“MAF”) of water in Lake Mead for the next four years, with 2.3 MAF paid for with funding from the Inflation Reduction Act.  The balance of 700,000 acre-feet will need to be conserved […]

Colorado River Lower Basin States Face Tier 1 Shortage and Maybe More

by Fred Breedlove The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation’s April 24-Month Study, published this week, as expected, signals a significant likelihood of reduced water deliveries in the Lower Basin of the Colorado River to Arizona, California, and Nevada. Not only does it suggest a high likelihood of Tier 1 reductions for 2022 and 2023, but it […]

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No Good Deed Goes Unpunished: AZ Drought Contingency Plan Stakeholders Recruited for Next Phase of Colorado River Work

by Fred Breedlove On Thursday, June 25, 2020, Arizona’s Lower Basin Drought Contingency Plan (“LBDCP”) Steering Committee (aka the “Drought Contingency Plan Committee”) is scheduled to reconvene and take on a new name and a new task.  The LBDCP will become the Arizona Reconsultation Committee (the “ARC”) to develop a consensus among Arizona’s Colorado River […]

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Colorado River News is a Mixed Bag: Heavy Snowmelt Can’t Prevent “Tier Zero” Shortage

by Fred Breedlove Every year, Colorado River water users anxiously wait for the results of the Bureau of Reclamation’s (“BOR”) August 24-Month Study Report. While the report is updated and published monthly, the August report is particularly significant because it sets the operational tier level for coordinated operation of Lakes Mead and Powell for the […]

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The Wild West: Whiskey Is for Drinking and Water Continues to Be for Fighting: The Drought Contingency Plan

by Lucas J. Narducci This week was a busy week at the Arizona State legislature. Several bills were dropped in order to meet deadlines placed by the federal government to have agreement on a drought contingency plan “DCP” by January 31, 2019. The bills that were dropped can be found here: HJR 2002 – Colorado […]

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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 […]

Top Five Issues to Watch in Arizona Water Law

by Karlene Martorana Drought on the Colorado River.  Although the winter snowpack in the Rockies is off to a good start and California has seen heavy rainfall this winter, the drought in the southwest is not over.  One wet season cannot overcome the water deficit in reservoirs along the Colorado River caused by the prolonged […]

KM
Former Counsel