Tag: arizona

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

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

LocationDateTime
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 Phoenix AMA

On By azwater

Color Logo Transparent- For Web

PRESS RELEASE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                                         December 1, 2022

Arizona Department of Water Resources field hydrologists conducting “basin sweep” to collect water level measurements in the Phoenix AMA

PHOENIX- Beginning the week of December 12, 2022, and continuing through January 2023, Arizona Department of Water Resources (ADWR) field services staff will make an extensive effort to measure water levels in wells in the Phoenix Active Management Area (AMA). This survey of wells – or basin “sweep,” as it is known – was last conducted during the winter of 2016/2017. 

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. Among others, data uses will include:

  • 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 central portion of the state and extends west of the Phoenix Metro area past Tonopah, east near the Superstition Mountain and Globe, AZ, north of New River, AZ and south to Sacaton. The Phoenix AMA consists of the following subbasins; Hassayampa, West Salt River Valley, Lake Pleasant, East Salt River Valley, Rainbow Valley, Carefree and Fountain Hills.

Map of the Phoenix AMA

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.

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Arizona Department of Water Resources field hydrologists conducting “basin sweep” to collect water level measurements in the Western Planning Area: Butler Valley, Harquahala, McMullen Valley, Ranegras Plain, and Tiger Wash Basins

On By azwater

Color Logo Transparent- For Web

PRESS RELEASE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                                         January 5, 2022

Arizona Department of Water Resources field hydrologists conducting “basin sweep” to collect water level measurements in the Western Planning Area: Butler Valley, Harquahala, McMullen Valley, Ranegras Plain, and Tiger Wash Basins

PHOENIX – Beginning the week of January 1st, 2022, 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 Western Planning Area (WPA): Butler Valley, Harquahala, McMullen Valley, Ranegras Plain, and Tiger Wash 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 in winter 2016 for the WPA.  The Harquahala Irrigation Non-Expansion Area (INA) will also be included in the basin sweep as it is contained within the Harquahala Basin. 

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 western to southwestern portion of the State and extends east of Plomosa and Kofa Mountains, west of Big Horn, Vulture and Harquahala Mountains, north of Eagle Tail Mountains and south of Bouse Hills, Buckskin and Harcuvar Mountains. 

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.

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At the Inauguration: Governor Ducey’s comments on securing Arizona’s water future

On By azwater

inauguration day 2019

In delivering his second Inaugural Address, Arizona Governor Doug Ducey told the audience at the State Capitol that the time has come to “press forward on some of the biggest challenges facing us.”

“Because none of us came here to do little things — we came here to do the things that matter, big things — and we can do them together.”

Among those big things the Governor identified was securing the State’s water future. Specifically, Governor Ducey called on lawmakers and stakeholders to take action on protecting the State’s Colorado River water supplies.

“We cannot kick the can any further,” he said.

Governor Ducey’s comments on Arizona water security, in full:

Our duty is to leave this state in far better shape than we found it — and we are well on our way.

These are the tasks before us. And if there’s any question of how Arizonans expect us to solve these problems, I’d say, look around. Taking the oath with me today are Republicans and Democrats – all hired by the same electorate.

When conversations stall, as they sometimes do during difficult discussions, we let history be our guide and the hand that lifts us back up.

Nearly four decades ago, in 1980, Arizona’s accelerated water consumption forced a sobering ultimatum from the federal government: reform or suffer severe water cutbacks.

The can could not be kicked any further.

But Arizona’s history is not one of missed opportunities or efforts that came up short. Rather we find, that in the darkest times, Arizona’s pioneering spirit shines the brightest.

Democrats and Republicans rose above party labels. They brought skeptical and reluctant stakeholders to the table. And they acted – and they did it with good faith and honest intentions.

For the people in this crowd and many across our state, I don’t have to spell out the parallel circumstances in which we find ourselves today.

It’s simple. Arizona and our neighboring states draw more water from the Colorado River than mother nature puts back. And with a critical shortfall imminent, we cannot kick the can any further.

It’s going to mean rising above self-interest, and doing the right thing. It means taking the action our past and future generations demand.

Arizona’s Summer Monsoon Season Has Been A Lively One. But ‘Liveliest Ever?’

On By azwater

After a so-so start to the southern Arizona summer “monsoon” season, storms pounded Tucson through early August with almost rhythmic frequency.

It was much the same in the metropolitan Phoenix area, which saw an unusual spate of strong storms moving through Arizona’s south-central Valley on five out of six days beginning on August 7.

This year’s summer storm activity has been widespread. Arizona’s eastern mountains saw almost daily rainfall from mid-July through early- to mid-August.  To the north, meanwhile, the strong storms started in earnest early.

Persistent, heavy rain battered the Flagstaff region commencing in mid-July, generating flash floods and localized flooding in many Flagstaff-area neighborhoods.

On July 18, a an estimated “1,000-year” storm dumped an astonishing six inches of rain on Flagstaff, with 4.5 inches of it pouring down in a span of just two hours.

The summer storm season has been so strong at times, in fact, that it has prompted some to ask: Is this the strongest monsoon-storm season ever for Arizona?

There’s no simple answer to that.

Arizona takes its summer monsoon season seriously. There is an extended web of agencies, including the Arizona Department of Water Resources, that performs a vast array of services tied to storm activity.

The National Weather Service, for example, monitors the conditions that may provoke Arizona storms. It reports both locally and from the service’s Climate Prediction Center (a function of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) in Maryland.

A complex, multi-agency system in Arizona, meanwhile, uses sophisticated land- and satellite-based technology to track storm production, including rain levels and flooding, and gets that information out to the public as soon as possible.

ADWR is the lead State agency for the Arizona Flood Warning System, or AFWS.

The AFWS is comprised of local, state and federal entities that collaborate on statewide strategies for flood management.

Podcast: Arizona Water Resources talks with Brian Cosson, Flood Warning Coordinator for ADWR

So, what is all that data telling us about the strength of the 2018 summer monsoon season thus far? It has set records in Flagstaff. But elsewhere?

Paul Iñiguez, a meteorologist with the NWS in Phoenix, recently told the Arizona Republic that from the standpoint of rainfall, the summer monsoons have been very productive in central Arizona, too.

“From June 15th through August 12th, this is the second most rain on average across (Phoenix) since 1990,” Iñiguez said. “It’s been wet.”

Some of the strength of the summer storms may be derived from “moisture surges” egged along by “tropical cyclones.”

Jon Gottschalck, chief of the Operational Prediction Branch at the Climate Prediction Center with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, told KJZZ recently about how “tropical cyclones” in the eastern Pacific basin are connected to Arizona’s monsoon storms.

Hurricanes, typhoons and other major Pacific storms all come under the general heading of tropical cyclones.

“Sea-surface temperatures, or ocean temperatures at the surface are strongly positive, meaning warmer than normal,” said Gottschalck. “And when those temperatures that are warmer than normal have been persisting for quite some time, there is more energy for tropical cyclones to develop.”

He said a spate of tropical cyclones in the eastern Pacific likely contributed to the moisture surges in Arizona and New Mexico that, among other things, produced the amazing string of consecutive stormy days in central Arizona.

Big Pacific storms, he said, do not have to  make direct hits on the Southwest to have an impact.

“The systems very often create moisture surges up the coast,” he said. “That very often tends to create stronger coverage of rainfall. In general, these storms don’t have to make direct hits on Arizona and New Mexico to do that.”

(For more on research into monsoon activity in Arizona, view the video below)

 

Arizona Water Protection Fund Accepting Applications for Fiscal Year 2019 Grant Cycle

On By azwater

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                                                                    

CONTACT: Sally Stewart Lee (602) 771-8530  sslee@azwater.gov 

water protection fund logo

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 is now accepting applications for the Fiscal Year (FY) 2019 AWPF grant cycle. The deadline to submit applications is September 7, 2018 at 3:00pm.  The AWPF Commission awards grants under three categories: capital projects, research and water conservation.  The grant cycle schedule, grant application manual, and electronic forms are available on the AWPF website at: www.azwpf.gov .

AWPF staff will be hosting one grant application workshop*:

Location Date Time Address
Phoenix, AZ  

August 10, 2018

 

 1:30 p.m. – 2:30 p.m. Arizona Dept. of Water Resources

1110 W. Washington St. Suite 310

Phoenix, AZ  85007

Middle Verde Conference Room. 4th Floor

*Staff will also be hosting a live online webinar of the grant application workshop for those not able to attend in person.  Please contact the Arizona Water Protection Fund (602-771-8528) for more information prior to August 10, 2018.

The AWPF promotes the use of incentives emphasizing local implementation rather than regulation to address resource concerns.  As such, the AWPF Commission’s philosophy has been to utilize a grassroots approach to improving river and riparian resources statewide.

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 Moving Forward On Lower Basin Drought Contingency Planning Discussions

On By azwater1 Comment
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By Thomas Buschatzke, Arizona Department of Water Resources Director and Ted Cooke, Central Arizona Project General Manager

In a joint statement in May, our agencies, the Arizona Department of Water Resources (ADWR) and Central Arizona Water Conservation District (CAWCD) announced that we are committed to bringing the Lower Basin Drought Contingency Plan (LBDCP) to closure in Arizona by addressing a broad range of issues that respect the concerns of all stakeholders across the state.

The discussions between ADWR and CAWCD were only the first step and today, we hosted a public briefing describing the proposed LBDCP, which was developed to address those risks. Colorado River managers were invited to learn about the LBDCP and its importance within Arizona.

We were joined by the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation Commissioner Brenda Burman. The Bureau of Reclamation discussed how the risks to the Colorado River have increased from what was expected when the Interim Guidelines for Lower Basin Shortages were established in 2007.

In fact, the risks of Lake Mead falling below critically low reservoir elevations have tripled in the past decade, increasing the risks of potentially draconian reductions to Arizona’s Colorado River supply.  The tools provided in those guidelines now are insufficient to address the current risks to the system.

In recognition of these increasing risks, Arizona, California, Nevada, and Mexico have worked together in recent years to voluntarily contribute water to Lake Mead.  These efforts include system conservation programs and storage programs, and have served to stave off shortages in the Lower Basin from 2015 through 2018, and very likely in 2019.

We recognize that even these efforts may not be sufficient to reduce the risks posed by a drier future on the Colorado River.

More needs to be done.

Drought Contingency Planning

In today’s briefing, we outlined a framework of additional measures to reduce risks in the Colorado River system, called the Lower Basin Drought Contingency Plan (LBDCP).

The LBDCP is a plan developed by Arizona, California and Nevada and the United States.   It has several major components, including:

  1. Additional contributions to Lake Mead from Arizona and Nevada, along with new contributions from California and the United States.
  2. Incentives for additional storage in Lake Mead by creating flexibility for water users to store water and take delivery of storage even during lower reservoir conditions.
  3. A commitment by parties in the Lower Basin to protect elevation 1020 feet in Lake Mead, implemented through consultation to determine what additional measures would be necessary to protect that elevation.

Implementation of the Lower Basin Drought Contingency Plan will trigger additional contributions from Mexico through the Binational Water Scarcity Contingency Plan as detailed in the Minute 323 agreement, adopted in 2017.

Projections by the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation show that the LBDCP, along with contributions from Mexico and actions by the Upper Basin States, would reduce the risks of falling below critical elevations in Lake Mead.

The LBDCP achieves this reduction of risks by requiring additional incremental water-delivery reductions by Arizona water users.  These reductions will impact Arizona’s junior Colorado River priority holders. The LBDCP has the potential to impact to all CAP priority pools, but the most significant impacts are likely to be to the CAP NIA priority pool.

Arizona Next Steps

This briefing was the beginning of a series of public discussions involving many Colorado River water users, elected officials, and other key stakeholders in Arizona. We recognize that the LBDCP and its impacts are complex issues, and there will be more questions than those addressed today.  Therefore, we have scheduled a meeting on July 10 at the Heard Museum to answer questions, as well as to provide additional details about the LBDCP.

Today’s briefing closed with the announcement that an Arizona Steering Committee will be formed to discuss and recommend how to adopt and implement the LBDCP in a way that is acceptable to Arizona water users. While the delegates to the Steering Committee will be by invitation jointly provided by ADWR and CAWCD, the meetings and discussions will be open, and the public is invited to participate. The Steering Committee is tentatively scheduled to conduct its first public meeting on July 26th.  Additional details will be provided at our websites www.azwater.gov and www.cap-az.com/AZDCP.

We recognize that more must be done to protect Arizona’s Colorado River users from the uncertainty and risks of critically low elevations in Lake Mead.  We are committed to working with Arizona water users and other stakeholders to adopt and implement the LBDCP in a way that is acceptable to Arizona water users.

 

Respected water blogger sees a (barely) hidden message in federal press release on Colorado River management

On By azwater

 

Burman
Bureau of  Reclamation Commissioner Brenda Burman

Well-respected water journalist and author John Fleck is serving up some intriguing thoughts on his blog about a recent press release issued by the Bureau of Reclamation.

Author of Water is for Fighting Over: and Other Myths about Water in the West, Fleck contends the Bureau’s press release was less of a traditional press announcement than an implicit call to action directed at the Colorado River basin states.

John Fleck at Morelos Dam
Journalist and author John Fleck

Fleck argues that Bureau of Reclamation Commissioner Brenda Burman used the press statement as an opportunity to kick-start the effort to finalize drought-contingency planning among the seven Colorado River states.It’s hard to argue with Fleck’s point. As quoted in her press release, Commissioner Burman observes that “(w)e need action and we need it now.

“We can’t afford to wait for a crisis before we implement drought contingency plans,” she said.

Fleck noted that the press release also took the unusual step of including messages supportive of drought-contingency planning from representatives of all seven Colorado River basin states. He said his favorite quote was from John Entsminger of Nevada, who observed that “Mother Nature does not care about our politics or our schedules.”

Well spoken, indeed. But the representative from Arizona, we should note, also had interesting points to make:

“The completion of the lower basin states’ Drought Contingency Plan is vitally important to Arizonans,” wrote Tom Buschatzke,  Director of the Arizona Department of  Water Resources.

“The plan reduces the likelihood of Lake Mead declining to critically low levels and incentivizes the use of tools to conserve water in the Lake so that reductions in delivery of Arizona’s Colorado River supplies are avoided or lessened.”