By Howard Fischer | Capitol Media Services via Arizona Daily Star
ov. Doug Ducey and state lawmakers begin the new legislative session Monday with a deadline to act — and soon — on two issues crucial to Arizona residents.
The more pressing one is to get sufficient votes for a drought contingency plan crafted by various interests to deal with the problem of declining water supplies coming from the Colorado River.
Most significant in the deal is a requirement for Arizona to leave some of the water to which it would otherwise be entitled in Lake Mead, near Las Vegas. That is designed to keep lake levels from dipping below a certain point when Arizona would otherwise lose its allocation.
To do that, however, means someone who normally gets Colorado River water will not.
Some of that would be made up with purchases of water rights from tribes. Ducey, who gives his State of the State address Monday afternoon, has committed to putting up $35 million. And there also are plans — though not yet fully funded — to allow Pinal County farmers to replace some of what they will not get from the Central Arizona Project with groundwater from new wells
But there is not yet actual legislation for lawmakers to consider. And there already has been some balking among various interests who question their cuts, as well as issues raised about whether cities should be able to take — and bank — water they do not need.
There also are questions about whether other sources of water should be considered in determining needs and allocations.
What makes the issue time-sensitive is that Brenda Burman, commissioner of the Bureau of Reclamation, has told all the affected states to come up with and ratify an acceptable plan by Jan. 31 or she will begin the process of having one imposed by the federal government.
One complicating factor, though, has been the partial federal shutdown, meaning certain federal officials are unavailable to answer questions about what might be acceptable.
