PHOENIX — State, Tribal and local officials in Arizona convened to celebrate the federal government approval of the Colorado River Lower Basin deal, a plan to voluntarily reduce water consumption proposed by Arizona, California and Nevada.
Governor Katie Hobbs, along with Bureau of Reclamation Commissioner Camille Calimlim Touton and Tribal, state and local officials, were among those who celebrated the agreements at the Phoenix City Hall on Friday morning.
The conservation agreement is in partnership with the United States Bureau of Reclamation, the Arizona Department of Water Resources, the Central Arizona Project and Arizona water users from across the state.
The agreements, also known as Bucket 1A, were negotiated by Hobbs between Nevada and California in the Colorado River Lower Basin deal. The deal aims to stabilize Lake Mead for the next three years and protect Arizona water supplies.
Federal officials said on Oct. 25 that conditions have improved on the Colorado River to a point where the plan to voluntarily reduce water use should help keep the river on stable footing – for now. The plan only lasts through 2026.
Hobbs said she knew when she took office ten months ago that Arizona was at a “crossroads” on how to create a “booming economy” sustainable.
“It shows the rest of the country that a thriving economy and water conservation are not mutually exclusive,” Hobbs said.
It is unclear how much of the water conservation efforts in Arizona were due to individual consumers lessening their water consumption and what was caused by increased rain and snowfall.
“Every water use, in every sector, in every state, needs to be a part of the Colorado River solution,” Hobbs said.
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