Our View: Gila River agreement shows Arizona is ready to deal on water.
Editorial: An agreement among five parties, including Gila River Indian Community and Phoenix, leaves even more water in Lake Mead to prevent drastic cuts.
Scarcity has a way of concentrating the mind.
When the water level at Lake Mead reaches or drops below 1,075 feet above sea level, the federal government will declare a shortage and trigger the first of tiered reductions in water supplies to states.
A generational drought intensified by climate change and massive population growth has put the Colorado Basin states on crisis footing.
If we are to continue to prosper as communities into the distant future, we will need to work together to solve the problem of water scarcity.
The city of Phoenix, the Gila River Indian Community, the state of Arizona, the federal government and the Walton Family Foundation have joined together to forge a plan that will expand the supplies of the Colorado River.
“Today’s agreement and the Community’s ongoing effort to protect the Colorado River carry immense importance for our people and our neighbors across the Southwest,” said Gila River Indian Community Gov.
In turn, the city was able to set aside some of its Colorado River water to be drawn during future shortages.
The ripples of this agreement move beyond the state of Arizona to our Western neighbors, declaring that the people of Arizona are ready to work together to solve one of the great challenges of this American century.