drought

Farmers, conservationists and small-town business owners are calling for an end to what they call wasteful uses of Colorado River water. 

The Salt River Project says the 2021 runoff season was the second driest on record but that its reservoirs in central Arizona will provide full allocations of water to cities, farmers and other users during the current drought. 

The Prescott National Forest on Wednesday joined four other national forests in Arizona in lifting closures that generally barred public entry. 

Rafael Fire Nears Full Containment; Team Surveys Damage 

The Rafael Fire southwest of Flagstaff is burning at 78,065 acres and is 95% contained, according to the latest update from the Prescott National Forest. Area communities affected by the fire have been downgraded to “ready” status for potential evacuation, including Sycamore Canyon. 

For thousands of years, an Arizona tribe relied on the Colorado River’s natural flooding patterns to farm. Later, it hand-dug ditches and canals to route water to fields.

Now, gravity sends the river water from the north end of the Colorado River Indian Tribes reservation through 19th century canals to sustain alfalfa, cotton, wheat, onions and potatoes, mainly by flooding the fields.