Arizona joins Nevada to fight proposed cuts to their shares of Colorado River
Move comes after Trump administration announced restrictions that could slash water supplies Arizona has joined Nevada in its legal battle against the Trump administration’s proposed cuts to their shares of the shrinking Colorado River. The move comes after the interior department announced restrictions this summer that could slash the water supplied to lower basin states – Arizona, California and Nevada – over the…
Key points
- Arizona has joined Nevada's lawsuit against the Trump administration's proposed Colorado River water cuts.
- The interior department announced restrictions this summer that could cut water to Arizona, California and Nevada.
- Upper basin states Wyoming, Colorado, Utah and New Mexico were spared from the cuts.
Arizona has joined Nevada in a legal challenge to the Trump administration's proposed cuts to their shares of the Colorado River, the Guardian reports. The interior department announced restrictions this summer that could reduce water supplies to the lower basin states of Arizona, California and Nevada over the next two years, depending on the river's condition.
The river's main reservoirs, Lake Mead and Lake Powell, have fallen to historically low levels because of overuse and a changing climate. The states that share the river failed to reach agreement, and the federal government stepped in after several deadlines were missed.
Upper basin exempt from cuts
The upper basin states of Wyoming, Colorado, Utah and New Mexico were spared from the cuts. Leaders of the lower basin states have sharply criticised that exemption.
The concern is that if reservoir levels fall far enough, the river would effectively be unable to flow downstream, a situation described as a deadpool.
We are drawing a line in the sand
— Arizona governor Katie Hobbs
What officials said
Arizona governor Katie Hobbs said in a Friday statement that the state is "drawing a line in the sand." She said the legal action with Nevada was taken because the federal government refuses to hold the upper basin accountable for water deliveries owed to Arizona.
Tom Buschatzke, director of Arizona's water department, said intervening in the Nevada lawsuit is necessary to protect the state's legal rights to Colorado River water while keeping a path open to a collaborative outcome with California and Nevada. An interior department spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
