Representative Juan Ciscomani (R-AZ) has relaunched the bipartisan Colorado River Caucus to bring together the states through which the Colorado River flows, as the river has suffered rapid depletion.
Launched in cooperation with Representative Joe Neguse (D-CO), the reborn caucus aims to implement a seven-state solution to the Colorado River's depletion that preserves water rights for ranchers, farmers, and other stakeholders reliant on the river, which has experienced rapid population growth in the surrounding areas.
States through which the river flows, aside from Arizona and Colorado, include California, Nevada, Utah, Wyoming, and New Mexico.
"The Colorado River is the beating heart of the American Southwest," Rep. Ciscomani said in his press release, adding, "Millions of people in Arizona and six other states depend on it as a source of water for our homes and businesses, our farms and ranches – our way of life. The Colorado River Caucus will help us understand and manage this precious resource as we deal with the impacts of a record-breaking drought that has lasted more than two decades. Collaboration is key, and that's the goal of this bipartisan caucus."
In June, amidst ongoing negotiations between the seven states, Arizona Senate President Warren Petersen proposed a possible arrangement in which Arizona would receive more water allocations from the Colorado River in exchange for federal support for a desalination facility in California.
"Let's say there's some dollars provided for infrastructure for them, and then they take off less from the Colorado, and then there's a larger water allocation," Petersen explained.
Similarly, Governor Katie Hobbs (D-AZ) argued that federal pressure on the Upper Basin states — Colorado, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming — may be necessary to combat Arizona's water crisis, as these states have historically used less than their full water allocations.
Such an imbalance occurs because the three Lower Basin states —Arizona, Nevada, and California — depend on water stored in Lake Mead and Lake Powell.
