PRESS RELEASE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE     CONTACT: Doug MacEachern or Shauna Evans

April 16, 2020                                          PHONE:  602.771. 8507 or 602.771.8079

Statement on the Bureau of Reclamation’s April 24-Month Study

PHOENIX – The United States Bureau of Reclamation (Reclamation) has released its April 24 Month Study, which projects Colorado River operations for the next two years. The study projects the operating conditions of the Colorado River system, as well as runoff and reservoir conditions. The Upper Basin experienced around average snowpack (107%) this year, and the April-July inflow into Lake Powell is expected to be 78% of average. The below-average projection is due to extremely dry conditions in the basin during October and November of 2019. Consistent with the 2007 Interim Guidelines, Lake Powell will operate under an annual release of 8.23 million acre feet in water year 2020.

The April 24 Month Study projects Lake Mead’s January 1, 2021 elevation to be 1084.69 feet, putting Lake Mead in a Tier Zero condition for 2021. The Study also projects a Tier Zero condition for Lake Mead in 2022 with the projected January 1, 2022 elevation of 1084.39 feet. Tier Zero conditions require a 192,000 acre-foot reduction in Arizona’s 2.8 million acre-foot allocation. The Lower Colorado River Basin is in Tier Zero for 2020. The April 24 month study projects that the Lower Colorado River Basin will remain in the Tier Zero condition in 2021.

These reductions will fall entirely on Central Arizona Project (CAP) supplies, impacting CAP supplies for water banking, replenishment and agricultural users. The Tier Zero reductions will not impact tribal or municipal CAP water users.

While the Tier Zero reductions are significant, they are part of broader efforts being implemented to reduce the near-term risks of deeper reductions to Arizona’s Colorado River supplies. In addition to the Tier Zero reductions to CAP supplies, other programs to conserve and store water are being implemented in Arizona. These include programs with the Colorado River Indian Tribes, Gila River Indian Community, Fort McDowell Yavapai Nation, Metro Water District, Mohave Valley Irrigation and Drainage District, the Arizona Department of Water Resources (ADWR), Central Arizona Water Conservation District (CAWCD), as well as Reclamation.

The April 24 Month Study shows that in the near term, the programs being implemented in Arizona and across the Colorado River system, along with favorable hydrology, have helped avoid a near-term crisis in the Colorado River system. However, we continue to face significant near-term and long-term risks to Arizona’s Colorado River supplies. We have much more work to do to address our shared risks. ADWR and CAWCD intend to jointly convene Arizona water stakeholders to address these risks and to prepare for new negotiations regarding the long-term operating rules on the Colorado River later this year.

See also:

Bureau of Reclamation April 24-Month Study

For more information regarding this matter, please contact Doug MacEachern, Communications Administrator at dmaceachern@azwater.gov or Shauna Evans, Public Information Officer at smevans@azwater.gov.

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PRESS RELEASE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE     CONTACT: Doug MacEachern or Shauna Evans

April 9, 2020                                                 PHONE:  602.771. 8507 or 602.771.8079

Appreciation Week Recognizes Essential Services of Arizona Water Professionals

PHOENIX – Like so much else, the COVID-19 virus has caused the cancellation of scheduled Arizona Water Professionals Appreciation Week events this year.

That doesn’t mean we still can’t celebrate the essential services that the State’s water professionals provide.

Arizona lawmakers already have done so.

House Resolution 2003, passed by the Legislature in March, decreed April 12-18 as the week that Arizonans will honor the hard work of professionals in the water industry.

The resolution, sponsored by Rep. Rosanna Gabaldon (D-Sahuarita), was read on the floor of the House of Representatives on March 18.

In part, the resolution invited lawmakers to “extend sincere gratitude and appreciation to the water professionals who are on the front line of delivering Arizona’s safe and reliable water…”

The reading of the resolution can be found here: https://bit.ly/3c3LXTE.

Now in its second year in Arizona, this recognition program was started by professionals who work in Arizona’s water industry. It is intended to spotlight their role in promoting clean and sustainable water supplies while drawing attention to career opportunities in the water industry and increasing awareness of Arizona’s unique water resources.

Thousands of professionals work in water-related fields in Arizona, and new employees are needed each year due to growth in the industry and to replace an aging workforce. The water industry offers a wide variety of rewarding career opportunities in engineering, hydrology, water operations, biology, policy, economics, business administration, law, and communications.

See also:

https://bit.ly/2JUfAux

For more information regarding this matter, please contact Juliet McKenna, organizer of Arizona Water Professionals Appreciation Week at jmckenna@elmontgomery.com.

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