The Board of the Central Arizona Water Conservation District voted to authorize the district to act swiftly to protect its water users as the legal circumstances surrounding future Colorado River operations continue to develop.
The authorization is a procedural step required under Arizona law and allows CAWCD, which operates the Central Arizona Project, to protect and defend its rights if legal action becomes necessary. The board previously authorized $12 million in litigation funding, positioning the district to respond as negotiations continue over how the river’s shrinking supply will be divided.
The action follows the Department of the Interior’s adoption of new operating guidelines for Lake Powell and Lake Mead covering 2027 and 2028, along with a broader decision framework extending through 2036.
The guidelines reduce Colorado River deliveries to Arizona, California and Nevada by a combined 1.25 million acre-feet annually during each of the next two years. If the Lower Basin states finalize their proposed sharing agreement, Arizona would absorb a 760,000-acre-foot reduction, compared with 440,000 acre-feet for California and 50,000 acre-feet for Nevada.
The Lower Basin states would also voluntarily conserve and store at least 700,000 additional acre-feet over the two-year period. The federal framework provides additional storage and water-management tools while leaving room for the states to negotiate consensus agreements that could be incorporated into future operating guidelines.
Federal officials said the combined contents of Lake Powell and Lake Mead recently reached their lowest level since Lake Powell began filling in the 1960s. Reclamation expects to release between 6 million and 7 million acre-feet from Lake Powell during the 2027 water year in an effort to maintain a minimum elevation of 3,510 feet and protect operations at Glen Canyon Dam.
CAWCD is urging Arizona, California and Nevada to finalize and execute a Lower Basin agreement that provides greater stability for water users. The district also maintains that the Upper Basin states should be required to reduce their water use and should not be permitted to increase consumption while the Lower Basin makes substantial reductions.
“Our top priority is finalizing a three-state Lower Basin deal,” said Brenda Burman, CAP general manager. “If litigation becomes necessary, the Board has taken action to ensure that we are in a position to defend our rights.”
