Arizona Department of Water Resources field hydrologists conducting “basin sweep” to collect water level measurements in the NW Groundwater Basins: Virgin River, Grand Wash, Shivwits Plateau, Kanab Plateau, Paria, and Coconino Plateau Basins (known mostly as the Arizona Strip region, not including Peach Springs Basin)

On March 11, 2024 By azwater

PHOENIX – Beginning the week of March 11, 2024, and scheduled to continue for multiple months, Arizona Department of Water Resources (ADWR) field services staff will be making an extensive effort to measure water levels in wells in the NW Groundwater Basins: Virgin River, Grand Wash, Shivwits Plateau, Kanab Plateau, Paria, and Coconino Plateau Basins. ADWR’s objective is to measure water levels at hundreds of wells in these groundwater basins. This survey of wells – or basin “sweep,” as it is known – was last conducted by the USGS in 1976 for the Grand Wash, Shivwits Plateau, Kanab Plateau, Paria Basins. ADWR last conducted a sweep in the Virgin River Basin in 1991 and Coconino Plateau Basin in 2004.

The Arizona Strip area has been identified as a critical area that has not had a basin sweep conducted recently (see ADWR publication, Hydrologic Map Series (HMS), Water Level Change Map Series (WLCMS), and Basin Sweep Assessment Report ADWR Basins and Sub-Basins, (2009).

The data collected will be analyzed and used to obtain a comprehensive overview of the groundwater conditions and used to support scientific and water management planning efforts. Data collected will be used for several purposes, including:

Analysis of water-level trends
Groundwater modeling
Water-level change maps
Hydrologic reports
Water resource planning and management

This basin sweep covers an area generally in the northwestern portion of the state from the Virgin River and Virgin River Mountains, including the Grand Canyon – Parashant NM, north and south rims of the Grand Canyon NP, extending east to Paria Canyon and southeast to the Colorado River west of Page, south to the San Francisco Mountains just northwest of Flagstaff, including Williams..

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Arizona Department of Water Resources field hydrologists conducting “basin sweep” to collect water level measurements in the Pinal Active Management Area

On December 18, 2023April 22, 2024 By azwater

PHOENIX- Beginning the week of December 18th, 2023, and continuing through February 2024, Arizona Department of Water Resources (ADWR) field services staff will make an extensive effort to measure water levels in wells in the Pinal Active Management Area (AMA). This survey of wells – or basin “sweep,” as it is known – was last conducted during the Winter of 2018.

Analysis of water-level trends
Groundwater modeling
Water-level change maps
Hydrologic reports
Water resource planning and management

The Pinal AMA is located in the central part of the State of Arizona. The Pinal AMA covers approximately 4,000 square miles in central Arizona. The topography consists of gently sloping alluvial basins separated by north to northwest trending fault-block mountains. The AMA consists of five sub-basins with unique groundwater underflow, storage, and surface water characteristics. These sub-basins are Maricopa-Stanfield, Eloy, Vekol Valley, Santa Rosa Valley, and Aguirre Valley.

For more information regarding this matter, please contact Public Information Officer Shauna Evans at smevans@azwater.gov or (602) 771-8079. Details about the nature of basin sweeps and groundwater modeling can be found here. If you would like to volunteer your well for participation in this groundwater survey, please contact the Hydrology Division at (602) 771-8535.

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Representatives of the Colorado Water Users organization analyze the effectiveness of their efforts to protect the vital system

On December 14, 2023 By azwater

Left to right: Amy Haas (CRAU), Patrick Dent (CAP), and Greg Walch (SNWA)

An essential part of knowing where you’re going is having a solid understanding of where you’ve been.

That’s no less true for the future of the Colorado River system – one of the most complex managed waterways in the world – than it is for anything else.

At the Colorado River Water Users Association’s annual end-of-year conference, a panel of river experts on Wednesday summarized and analyzed the sometimes-positive, sometimes not-so-positive recent history of the river.

The panelists of “A Site Review: Effectiveness of Current and Past Programs” included:

Moderator Terry Fulp, the former Regional Director, Lower Colorado River Basin, Bureau of Reclamation; David Palumbo, Deputy Commissioner of Operations, Bureau of Reclamation; Eric Kuhn, the retired General Manager of the Colorado River Water Conservation District of Colorado; Amy Haas, Executive Director, Colorado River Authority of Utah; Patrick Dent, Deputy General Manager, Central Arizona Water Conservation District; and, Greg Walch, General Counsel, Southern Nevada Water Authority.

Summarizing the status of the river system today, Eric Kuhn of Colorado observed that the 2023 winter snowpack season in his state “is off to an uninspiring start.”

He observed that Colorado snowpack today stands at about 60 percent of normal. The next 24-month study of river conditions, produced by the Bureau of Reclamation, could show a river-production drop of 1 million acre-feet from previous expectations, he said.

David Palumbo of the Bureau discussed the wide range of federal programs that are being implemented currently, many of them dedicated to conserving water in the river system.

The now-famous “2007 Interim Guidelines,” which set guidelines for shortages that each Lower Basin state would take in the event of delivery shortfalls, “were fundamental to the operation of the Colorado River,” he said.

Although those ’07 Guidelines proved insufficient for keeping the river system reservoirs from descending to critical surface levels, they were “rooted in the best available guidelines that we had at the time.”

Amy Haas of Utah recalled the history of the 2019 Drought Contingency Plan negotiations – the second great collaborative effort by Colorado River user-states to protect the system.

Patrick Dent of the Central Arizona Water Conservation District – operators of the Central Arizona Project canal system – observed the substantial increases in conservation efforts over the years. Conservation in 2014 by the Colorado River states amounted to less than 1 million acre-feet.

By 2023, however, the amount conserved to protect the system shot up to 6.93 million acre-feet. That staggering conservation figure, he noted, Intentionally Created Surplus water stored by the United States; contributions stipulated in the 2019 Drought Contingency Plan; system conservation efforts and other conservation efforts, as well as water saved under the terms of the ’07 Guidelines.

ADWR statement in response to Department of Interior’s new Draft Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement

On October 25, 2023October 25, 2023 By azwater

PRESS STATEMENT

ADWR statement in response to Department of Interior’s new Draft Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement

By the end of 2023, the Lower Basin will have voluntarily conserved more than 1 million acre-feet in the Colorado River system. This volume is on top of reductions in use mandated by the 2007 Guidelines and the 2019 Drought Contingency Plan, which resulted in a cumulative 617,000 acre-feet being stored in Lake Mead this year by the three states.

As a result of the conservation and the reductions in use, Arizona, California and Nevada this year have put just 5.8 million acre-feet to consumptive use – the lowest consumptive use since 1984.

Arizona’s conservation efforts alone have been substantial.

Including voluntary contributions and reductions mandated by the ‘07 Guidelines and the DCP, Arizona has conserved over 3.7 million acre-feet of water in Lake Mead since 2014. In 2023 alone, Arizona is on track to conserve 907,000 acre-feet:

Tier 2a shortage reduction stipulated by ‘07 Guidelines – 400 KAF
Tier 2a DCP contribution – 192 KAF
System Conservation funded by Bureau of Reclamation – ~272 KAF
ADWR-CAWCD ICS Preservation – ~43 KAF
Total – ~907 KAF

Taken together, the ongoing voluntary commitments are on track to achieve the volumes in the Lower Basin consensus proposal offered to the federal government earlier this year. Combined with the past year’s above-average hydrology, the system is stable through 2026.

As a result, the states will continue focusing their efforts on post-2026 operational guidelines in order to stabilize the Colorado River system for the long-term.

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Arizona, California and Nevada commit to record-setting conservationto protect the Colorado River

On October 19, 2023 By azwater

PRESS RELEASE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE OCTOBER 19, 2023

ARIZONA
Doug MacEachern
Arizona Department of Water Resources
602-510-0104
dmaceachern@azwater.gov

CALIFORNIA
Jessica Neuwerth
Colorado River Board of California
818-254-3202
jneuwerth@crb.ca.gov

NEVADA
Bronson Mack
Southern Nevada Water Authority
702-822-8543
bronson.mack@snwa.com

Arizona, California and Nevada commit to record-setting conservation
to protect the Colorado River

Record-setting volumes of Colorado River water are being saved in Lake Mead

The Bureau of Reclamation is moving the process forward to develop new operating guidelines for the Colorado River that will be in effect after 2026. Simultaneously, states, tribes and water users across the Colorado River Basin continue to collaborate on a long-term sustainable plan for the stability of the river.

To that end, the Lower Colorado River Basin states – water users in Arizona, California and Nevada – are contributing record volumes of water to Lake Mead. By the end of 2023, cumulatively, the Lower Basin will have voluntarily conserved more than 1 million acre-feet – water that is being held back in Lake Mead for the benefit of the entire system over and above shortage reductions agreed to in 2007 and those of the 2019 Drought Contingency Plan.

In 2023, consumptive use in the Lower Basin States is expected to be around 5.8 million acre-feet, the lowest consumptive use since 1984.

Arizona

Arizona users are conserving nearly 345,000 acre-feet of water in 2023 through the Central Arizona Water Conservation District/Arizona Department of Water Resources ICS Preservation program as well as federally funded CAP subcontractor, tribal contractor and on-river conservation agreements. This is in addition to the 592,000 acre-foot Tier 2a shortage reduction taken by Arizona.

“Arizona is conserving more water than ever to stabilize the Colorado River Basin and protect our collective water future,” said Tom Buschatzke, Director of the Arizona Department of Water Resources.

“The commitment of our state’s tribes, cities, industries and agricultural districts to Colorado River conservation efforts is substantial, and builds upon Arizona’s long history of water conservation in support of a robust economy. I’m confident we will continue this tradition well into the future as we all adapt to a changing Colorado River.”

California

Colorado River water deliveries to California in 2023 are on track to be the lowest since 1949 – 700,000 acre-feet lower than the state’s 4.4 million acre-foot apportionment. In urban Southern California, Colorado River use this year is projected to be the third lowest in 60 years, thanks in part to recent broad efforts to reduce outdoor water use on grass. Last week, Gov. Gavin Newsom signed legislation prohibiting the use of potable water to irrigate grass that serves no functional purpose at businesses and other institutions.

“Twenty years ago this year, California permanently reduced its Colorado River water use by 800,000 acre-feet overnight — enough to serve 2.4 million households every year. This year, in addition to that unparalleled and ongoing effort, we’ve cut our use even further thanks to investments in conservation and partnerships forged between our agricultural, urban, and tribal water users,” said JB Hamby, California’s Colorado River Commissioner and Chairman of the Colorado River Board of California. “California is committed to leading with our water users, Basin States, and Basin Tribes to ensure sustainability on the Colorado River now and into the future.”

Nevada

Nevada implemented a series of new water efficiency measures to further enhance the community’s progressive and comprehensive conservation program, which has reduced Nevada’s consumption of Colorado River by 41 percent since 2002. The new water efficiency measures include pool size limits, state laws requiring decorative grass replacement, prohibitions on new evaporative cooling, and innovative tools to align economic development opportunities with water efficiency.

“With a population of 2.3 million residents, Southern Nevada will use less than 200,000 acre-feet this year – our lowest annual water use since 1993 when our population was about 900,000 people,” said John Entsminger, SNWA General Manager. “As a river community, we can all maintain diverse, robust economies while using less water, and the reductions in municipal and agricultural water use across the Lower Basin demonstrates that.”

Arizona, California, and Nevada water users continue to conserve and leave roughly 3 million acre-feet of water in Lake Mead by the end of 2026, ensuring Colorado River system stability. Collectively, ongoing commitments may exceed the volumes in the Lower Basin consensus proposal offered to the federal government earlier this year as part of the Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement process to revise the 2007 Interim Guidelines that operate the Colorado River system.

These contributions provide much-needed stability through 2026 while new operating guidelines are being developed for the Colorado River system.

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Comment Period for Arizona Water Protection Fund Fiscal Year 2024 Grant Applications Now Open

On September 11, 2023 By azwater

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

September 11, 2023

Press Release

CONTACT: Shauna Evans

(602) 771-8079

smevans@azwater.gov

Comment Period for Arizona Water Protection Fund Fiscal Year 2024 Grant Applications Now Open

PHOENIX – The Arizona Water Protection Fund* has received grant applications for its fiscal year 2024 funding cycle.

Grant applications are now available for public review at the Arizona Water Protection Fund website at https://www.azwpf.gov/grant-information/fy-2024-grant-cycle or at the Arizona Department of Water Resources physical address described below.

Written comments regarding grant applications may be submitted during the 45-day public comment period, which begins September 12, 2023 and ends October 27, 2023 at 5:00 p.m. Written public comments must be received no later than 5:00 p.m., October 27, 2023. Written comments can be mailed, sent via email, or sent by fax. If mailed, written comments must be postmarked no later than October 27, 2023. Please include application numbers and project titles. For additional information, please contact Reuben Teran, Executive Director at (602) 771-8528.

Mailing Address	Physical Address
Arizona Department of Water Resources Arizona Water Protection Fund Attn: Reuben Teran 1802 W Jackson St. Box #79 Phoenix, Arizona 85007	Arizona Department of Water Resources Arizona Water Protection Fund 1110 West Washington, Suite 310 Phoenix, Arizona 85007
Fax	Email
(602) 771-8687	rteran@azwater.gov

* The Arizona Water Protection Fund supports projects that develop or implement on the ground measures that directly maintain, enhance and restore Arizona’s river and riparian resources.

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Arizona Water Protection Fund Accepting Applications for Fiscal Year 2024 Grant Cycle

On July 5, 2023 By azwater

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

July 5, 2023

Press Release

CONTACT: Doug MacEachern

(602) 771-8507

dmaceachern@azwater.gov

Arizona Water Protection Fund Accepting Applications for Fiscal Year 2024 Grant Cycle

PHOENIX- The Arizona Water Protection Fund (AWPF) supports projects that develop or implement on-the-ground measures that directly maintain, enhance and restore Arizona’s river and riparian resources.

The AWPF Commission will be accepting applications for the Fiscal Year 2024 grant cycle and will award grants under three categories: capital projects, research, and water conservation. The deadline to submit applications is August 25, 2023, at 11:59 p.m. Arizona time. Applications will only be accepted electronically via the eCivis Grants Management System. The eCivis grant application portal link, grant cycle schedule, grant application manual, and electronic forms are available on the AWPF website at https://www.azwpf.gov/grant-information/fy-2024-grant-cycle.

AWPF staff will be hosting one grant application workshop:

Location	Date	Time
Online Webinar*	Wednesday, July 12, 2023	1:30 p.m. – 2:30 p.m.

Webinar Information

Link: https://adwr.info/AWPF_W
Webinar Number (Access Code): 2595 334 6863
Webinar Password: 3ZKcjn3WW97
Join by Phone: 1-415-655-0001 US Toll (Access Code is same as above)

*Staff will be providing the grant application workshop via online webinar only, but a recording will also be available on the AWPF website at https://www.azwpf.gov/grant-information/fy-2024-grant-cycle. Please contact the Arizona Water Protection Fund at 602-771-8528 or rteran@azwater.gov with any questions.

The Arizona Legislature established the AWPF in 1994 (A.R.S. § 45-2101, et seq.). The Arizona Department of Water Resources provides administrative, technical, and legal support to the AWPF Commission. The legislation establishing the AWPF provides that it is the declared policy of the Legislature to provide for a coordinated effort between state funding and locally led solutions for the restoration and conservation of the water resources of the state. A.R.S. § 45-2101(A). The primary purpose of the AWPF is to provide monies through a competitive public grant process for implementation of measures to protect water of sufficient quality and quantity to maintain, enhance, and restore rivers and streams and associated riparian resources consistent with existing water law and water rights, and measures to increase water availability. A.R.S. § 45-2101(B).

For additional information, please contact Reuben Teran at rteran@azwater.gov.

Arizona Department of Water Resources field hydrologists conducting “basin sweep” to collect water level measurements in the Northwest Basins Planning Area

On February 28, 2023February 28, 2023 By azwater

PRESS RELEASE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE February 27, 2023

Arizona Department of Water Resources field hydrologists conducting “basin sweep” to collect water level measurements in the Northwest Basins Planning Area

PHOENIX- Beginning the week of February 27th, 2023, and continuing through April 2023, Arizona Department of Water Resources (ADWR) field services staff will make an extensive effort to measure water levels in wells in the Northwest Basins Planning Area. This survey of wells – or basin “sweep,” as it is known – was last conducted during the Spring of 2018.

Analysis of water-level trends
Groundwater modeling
Water-level change maps
Hydrologic reports
Water resource planning and management.

The Northwest Basins Planning Area is located in the far northwest portion of the State and comprises the Detrital, Hualapai (Hualapai INA), Meadview, and Sacramento Valley Groundwater Basins. The Planning Area lies within Mohave County. The City of Kingman is the largest community in the Planning Area.

For more information regarding this matter, please contact Public Information Officer Shauna Evans at smevans@azwater.gov or (602) 771-8079. Details about the nature of basin sweeps and groundwater modeling can be found here. If you would like to volunteer your well for participation in this groundwater survey please contact the Hydrology Division at (602) 771-8535.

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Turning the tables: reporters covering the Colorado River explain their challenges to Colorado River water users

On December 15, 2022December 15, 2022 By azwater

Left to right: Peter Prengaman (AP); Crystal Thompson (CAP); Alex Hager (KUNC); Hunter Bassler (12 News)

The 2022 Colorado River Water Users Association meetings are setting records for attendees. It has never before sold out. This time, it has.

It literally has “sold out” of credentials for media, too. The halls of the Caesar’s Palace vast meeting-room levels are swarming with more media than these meetings ever have seen before. This “colloquium” gives attendees a unique window into the news world and how it covers Colorado River water issues.

Peter Prengaman, an environmental news editor at the Associated Press, describes a package of Colorado River stories that AP and other journalists have created for AP subscribers, including Arizona publications such as the Yuma Sun and the Arizona Daily Star.

AP, says Prengaman, previously covered climate-change issues as a science story. In this latest Colorado River series, as well as in other coverage, the news service is attempting to examine climate change more “holistically,” including pursuing stories on water issues around the world.

“A lot of people are only now starting to engage with climate change,” he said. “But the science, really, is 40 or 50 years old.”

Alex Hager, a reporter who produces NPR-style stories for public radio at his home station of KUNC, as well as for numerous other public-radio stations around the US and Canada. In addition, he produces written web features on his subjects, which include a considerable number of stories related to the Colorado River.

His work on the Colorado River is funded by the Walton Family Foundation. Hager observes that there is “a strict firewall” between his reporting and the funding foundation.

Hager notes that a lot of his story subject come from sources “other than PR pitches.” That got a laugh from the audience, which seems to include a fair number of PR people.

Like a great many other people who are attempting to understand the complex issues facing the Colorado River, Hager acknowledges that learning the complex language of water has been a continuous challenge.

Hunter Bassler of KPNX, Channel 12 in Phoenix, is a digital reporter and producer, mainly for the news station’s website.

“Visually showing the effects of climate change is pretty difficult,” said Bassler.

Through his online articles, he said, TV reporters can see whether a story can translate into something they can turn for television. Water stories, he said, need to be interesting, accurate and digestible – a real problem, he acknowledges, given their complexity.

“Water agencies have done a fine job of making water data available online,” he observed.

Jerd Smith of Fresh Water News, a service provided by Water Education Colorado, described how her news service was created to help bolster the dwindling coverage afforded by traditional news media whose newsrooms have been decimated in recent years from layoffs.

“We share our content with media organizations across (Colorado),” said Smith.

Smith noted the importance of including maps with water stories, since “all water stories are local stories.” She pointed out the need for reporters to “get out and build relationships” rather than report from “your closets and basements” – an issue that to many observers became much more serious during the pandemic.

Teal Lehto, who bills herself as “Western Water Girl,” produces water-related videos on Tik Tok, a video-format social media platform that “is the most popular platform” for people under 30, she observed. Lehto has over 50,000 regular viewers.

Like Public Radio’s Alex Hager, she said, “I also use my closet as my studio.”

Lehto noted that she only started her water-news video platform in April. “And, now, here I am up here (on a CRWUA panel) today.”

“My platform is proof that young people are interested and will be engaged, but only if you are speaking their language,” she said.

Turning the tables: reporters covering the Colorado River explain their challenges to Colorado River water users

On December 15, 2022December 15, 2022 By azwater

The 2022 Colorado River Water Users Association meetings are setting records for attendees. It has never before sold out. This time, it has.

“A lot of people are only now starting to engage with climate change,” he said. “But the science, really, is 40 or 50 years old.”

His work on the Colorado River is funded by the Walton Family Foundation. Hager observes that there is “a strict firewall” between his reporting and the funding foundation.

Hager notes that a lot of his story subject come from sources “other than PR pitches.” That got a laugh from the audience, which seems to include a fair number of PR people.

Hunter Bassler of KPNX, Channel 12 in Phoenix, is a digital reporter and producer, mainly for the news station’s website.

“Visually showing the effects of climate change is pretty difficult,” said Bassler.

“Water agencies have done a fine job of making water data available online,” he observed.

Left to right: Peter Prengaman; Crystal Thompson; Alex Hager; Hunter Bassler

“We share our content with media organizations across (Colorado),” said Smith.

Like Public Radio’s Alex Hager, she said, “I also use my closet as my studio.”

Lehto noted that she only started her water-news video platform in April. “And, now, here I am up here (on a CRWUA panel) today.”

“My platform is proof that young people are interested and will be engaged, but only if you are speaking their language,” she said.

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PRESS RELEASE

Arizona Department of Water Resources field hydrologists conducting “basin sweep” to collect water level measurements in the Northwest Basins Planning Area

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