BULLHEAD CITY — Arizona Steering Committee work began Thursday in Phoenix on the Lower Basin Drought Contingency Plan.
Lois Wakimoto, steering committee representative.
“The four key elements for DCP implementation are going to be agricultural mitigation, tribal intentionally created surplus, Arizona conservation plans and excess water.” LBDCP is a plan developed by Arizona, California, Nevada and the United States to create additional contributions to Lake Mead from Arizona and Nevada, along with new contributions from California and the U.S. with incentives for additional storage in Lake Mead.
Should Bureau of Reclamation declare a shortage in August, Arizona would take the deepest allocation cuts beginning in January.
The plan works to reduce reduction risks by requiring additional incremental water-delivery reductions by Arizona water users, primarily Central Arizona Project water users and most significantly, CAP non-Indian agricultural water users, who would bear the brunt of a Tier 1 shortage.
“It’s not if it’s going to happen — it’s going to happen because of the (Lake Mead) water levels.
We’re looking for ways to mitigate some of the situations that we have to deal with unless we get a huge rain — which with snowpack down over the winter doesn’t seem like it will happen anytime soon.” Steering Committee objectives include recommending appropriate and sustainable processes and tools to implement the plan in Arizona, as well as obtaining Arizona Legislature approval for a joint resolution authorizing the director of Arizona Department of Water Resources to agree to the plan.
As a municipality representative on the committee, Wakimoto is urging Arizona municipalities to contact her regarding their water issues.
“I will try to reach out to them, but they also need to reach out to me,” Wakimoto said.
“I know what Mohave County water issues are, but La Paz issues are a little different and I’m looking for information on what they want.” Arizona Department of Water Resources and Central Arizona Water Conservation District representatives announced the formation of the steering committee at a joint briefing in May.