Arizona's newly inaugurated Gov. Katie Hobbs (D) has no time to waste as she faces the daunting challenge of addressing the state's use of water from the overallocated Colorado River.
Arizona is one of three states in the river's lower basin, along with California and Nevada. Historic drought, intensified by climate change, has battered the region for the entire 21st century, and last year, the river's waters dropped to a level that triggers automatic allocation cuts from the federal Bureau of Reclamation.
Arizona was issued the largest cut of any state, at 21 percent. The cuts took effect on Jan. 1, the day before Hobbs took office, forcing her to hit the ground running on the issue.
Ultimately, she will need to oversee decisions about how the state allocates its dwindling supply from the key river, balancing competing interests between rural agricultural communities and booming cities.
One of the "first and most important thing[s]" directly under Hobbs's control is something she's already done, according to Dave White, director of Arizona State University's Global Institute of Sustainability and Innovation. Ahead of her inauguration, Hobbs confirmed she'd retain Tom Buschatzke as director of the state Department of Water Resources.
The details:
- Buschatzke, appointed by Hobbs's predecessor Doug Ducey (R) in 2015, has been "an integral and important leader in water policy and management in the state" as well as representing the state in interstate negotiations over Colorado River allocation, White said, making his continued presence vital to continuity on water policy.
- If basin states cannot reach a new agreement, updating the century-old compact that governs the river's waters, the federal government has raised the prospect of imposing cuts itself, separate from the Bureau of Reclamation cuts.
- As a result of that decision, "we're not losing momentum here, which is very important," said Sharon Megdal, director of The University of Arizona Water Resources Research Center.
What the state water director says: In an interview with The Hill, Buschatzke said that by remaining in his position he would be able to continue building on the relationships with other negotiators he has already established.
"It's really important to have that basic relationship throughout the basin and I think it will serve Arizona well and it will serve Gov. Hobbs well as she helps define the policy direction that the state is following," Buschatzke said.
What comes next? Buschatzke said Arizona was well-prepared for the Bureau of Reclamation cuts, but "the real issue [is] much more needs to be done to stabilize the system, and it's uncertain as to how big a number we're going to come up with to stabilize the system."
"I will continue to advocate for collaborative solutions to get as much voluntary compensated conservation or into Lake Mead to avoid mandatory cuts from the federal government," he said.
Read more about the issues at play here.
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