Opinion | Mayors Warn Against Possible Colorado River Cuts

Cutting Arizona off from Colorado River waters will devastate Arizona. As two Valley mayors we beg the federal government to reconsider their plan.

Kate Gallego and Mark Freeman

Written For The Republic

Few issues unite Arizonans more than water security. Throughout the desert, we understand that water is life and take pride in our culture of conservation.

The careful stewardship of our water has guided our state and our cities, for decades. Arizona uses less water per capita today than it did in the 1950s, even as our population and economy have soared. In Phoenix and Mesa, we have invested heavily in conservation, reuse, infrastructure and groundwater recharge and storage.

While we have long prepared for times of shortage, today we sound the alarm that one of our most important water resources, the Colorado River, is under extraordinary strain.

Prolonged drought, rising temperatures and a reduction of runoff into the Colorado River have diminished a system that sustains life for 40 million Americans in seven states as well as Mexico. Lake Powell, one of the system’s major reservoirs and hydro-electricity producers, is dangerously close to a low point at which water can no longer flow through the Glen Canyon Dam, threatening to disrupt water and energy supplies for hundreds of thousands of people.

How the federal proposal impacts Arizona water users

Recent proposals from the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, the agency that manages the interstate dynamics of the river, suggest that federal regulators do not understand what is at stake in the West. Rather than assuring systemwide conservation, the federal agency has chosen to favor the Upper Basin states (Colorado, Utah, Wyoming and New Mexico) at the serious detriment of Lower Basin states (Arizona, California and Nevada)

Here’s what is at stake for Arizona. The 336-mile Central Arizona Project canal system, which delivers Colorado River water to 6 million people throughout Maricopa, Pima and Pinal counties, serves nearly 80% of Arizona’s population. It supports tribal communities, public health, and agriculture and industry that is critical to U.S. supply chains and national security. This water fuels critical manufacturing, including the development of life-saving medical technologies, as well as our only source of domestically manufactured advanced semiconductors.

The current Colorado River operating guidelines expire this year. The Bureau of Reclamation has proposed that beginning in 2027, water in the CAP canal could be cut by more than 95%—effectively wiping out Arizona’s Colorado River water supply. Reclamation’s suggested reductions for the Upper Basin states? Not a drop

This is one of the most consequential moments for American water policy in a generation. Arizona did not create the Colorado River crisis, but the Bureau of Reclamation and the Upper Basin states are proposing a path that would place a disproportionate and devastating burden on Arizona.

Arizonans would face higher prices, lower growth

This would skyrocket water costs for Arizona consumers, put a chokehold on housing development, further strain the state’s groundwater supplies, and could mean new restrictions on how we use water.

It would also hurt our national economy, causing serious disruptions to the produce grown on Arizona’s lands and technology manufactured here that Americans depend on every day. The eventual consequences could be devastating to national security and to supply chains critical to the U.S. economy.

Arizona and our Lower Basin neighbors California and Nevada have consistently advanced collaborative proposals to stabilize the river system. We understand that difficult decisions lie ahead, and we are committed to being part of the solution. But shared challenges demand shared sacrifice.

It’s essential that our country’s elected leaders and policymakers understand what is at stake.

Protecting Arizona’s lifeline is the defining challenge that will determine our shared prosperity, security and stability for generations.

Kate Gallego, a Democrat, is the mayor of Phoenix. Mark Freeman, a Republican, is the mayor of Mesa.