The seven states of the Colorado River Basin missed the August deadline to develop plans for drastic water cuts in response to the long running drought. KNAU’s Melissa Sevigny reports, many Arizonans want other states to offer deeper conservation measures, but the future of the negotiations is unclear.
Arizona farmers take most of the burden of water shortage under the current agreements. That’s because of a priority system set up decades ago.
Chelsea McGuire of the Arizona Farm Bureau says she would like to see other states step up and take cuts: "We have to see collaboration, not just from Arizona water users, but from water users across the basin, to figure out how are we going to continue the economies, continue the growth, continue the prosperity that we have as a result of this river."
The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation has not said whether it will impose cuts on the states and did not set a new deadline after negotiations failed.
Jennifer Pitt of the National Audubon Society says she’s not surprised by the lack of consensus, but she is disappointed. "This is not just water supply, it’s a river, and there are all kinds of living things that depend on it, so I think the risk is enormous," she says.
Federal projections show Lake Mead likely will continue to drop over the next two years. The reservoir’s level determines water cuts under existing agreements. Arizona is set to lose 21 percent of its Colorado River supply, up from 18 percent this year. Nevada loses 8 percent of its allotment and Mexico, 7 percent.
