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…
The Trump administration has proposed restrictions that could drastically reduce water supplies for Arizona, Nevada and California as the Colorado River's major reservoirs, Lake Mead and Lake Powell, have reached historically low levels due to overuse and climate change. The lower basin states, including Arizona, California and Nevada, reached an impasse with the upper basin states – Wyoming, Colorado, Utah and New Mexico – over who should bear the brunt of the water cuts.
The federal government's intervention came after the states missed deadlines for a consensus. The fear is that if reservoir levels drop enough, the river would effectively stop flowing downstream, a situation known as a "deadpool." Tom Buschatzke, Arizona's water department director, stated that intervention in the Nevada lawsuit is necessary to protect Arizona's legal rights to Colorado River water.
Governor Katie Hobbs of Arizona declared, "We are drawing a line in the sand," as she joined Nevada in legal action against the Trump administration's proposed cuts, citing the federal government's refusal to hold the Upper Basin accountable for the water deliveries owed to the Lower Basin.
Written by urgent.news from The Guardian US's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
