Arizona intervened Friday in Nevada's lawsuit against the Interior Department over federal plans that could cut lower basin Colorado River supplies by up to 3 million acre-feet a year.
By the numbers: The federal plan would slash the Central Arizona Project's Colorado River allocation by 77% over the next two years, per the governor's office. The Lower Basin Agreement it would override commits Arizona, California and Nevada to conserve over 3.2 million acre-feet in 2027 and 2028.
The backstory: Interior stepped in this summer with restrictions on 2027 and 2028 river operations after the states missed several deadlines to reach consensus. Lake Mead and Lake Powell have fallen to historically low levels from overuse and a changing climate.
- The four upper basin states, Wyoming, Colorado, Utah and New Mexico, were spared from the cuts, an exemption lower basin leaders have sharply rebuked.
What they're saying: "We are drawing a line in the sand," Hobbs said in a Friday statement, adding that Arizona will refuse a forced federal plan that solves the crisis "on the backs of our families, farmers, and businesses."
- Arizona water department director Tom Buschatzke said intervening is necessary to protect the state's legal rights while preserving a collaborative path with California and Nevada.
What's next: Arizona will challenge parts of the federal Final Environmental Impact Statement and Record of Decision that, in its reading, unlawfully fail to require deliveries from upper basin reservoirs into Lake Mead.
Why it matters: Lake Mead supplies the taps and the farms of the fastest-growing corner of the country, and a court now gets to decide who gives water up. The fear behind the fight is deadpool, the level at which the river stops flowing downstream at all.
