Arizona water director: I won’t support CAP board’s drought plan.
Mark Henle/The Republic My Turn: The Central Arizona Water Conservation District wants to gamble with water levels in Lake Mead, and that’s just not smart.
Droughts of 30 or even 50 years are not unknown phenomena.
Two board members of the Central Arizona Water Conservation District (CAWCD) recently called for the state’s water managers to rally around a new proposal created by CAWCD staff to (theoretically) protect Arizona’s water in Lake Mead.
This risky gambit lacks a fundamental aspect of credibility and statesmanship that Arizona needs to maintain with our neighbors in Wyoming, Utah, Colorado, New Mexico, Nevada and California.
A prudent plan – a DCP-Plus plan — would conserve and store enough water in Lake Mead so that a buffer, well above the shortage trigger elevation, is reached.
The Arizona Department of Water Resources is committed to a collaborative approach to water management among all Arizona water users who hold entitlements to Colorado River water.
The Arizona water users who rely on the river have supported my efforts to represent them as DCP negotiations ensued.
It’s simple: I won’t support their plan As director, I am charged with signing the DCP on behalf of the state.
That “Plus plan” is the lynchpin for support by Arizona’s water users when I appear before the state Legislature.