Gov. Katie Hobbs says the state is challenging potential federal water cuts that could reduce supplies to Arizona and other Lower Basin states.
Arizona has joined Nevada in a lawsuit challenging federal decisions over Colorado River water deliveries, as negotiations continue over how to address the river’s declining supplies.
Gov. Katie Hobbs and the Arizona Department of Water Resources announced Friday that Arizona has intervened in Nevada’s lawsuit against the U.S. Department of the Interior.
The state is seeking to preserve an agreement among Lower Basin states while challenging federal decisions that Arizona officials say could lead to significant water cuts.
The lawsuit challenges federal environmental and operational decisions that, according to Arizona officials, fail to require water deliveries from Upper Basin reservoirs to Lake Mead. The state says those decisions could result in cuts of up to 3 million acre-feet of water per year for Lower Basin states.
“Arizona has always been willing to do our part to protect the Colorado River, but we will not accept a forced federal plan that solves this crisis on the backs of our families, farmers, and businesses,” Hobbs said in a statement.
Hobbs said Arizona would continue working with Nevada and California to implement a separate agreement intended to protect the river system and avoid additional reductions in Arizona’s water supply.
The Lower Basin Agreement calls for participating states to conserve more than 3.2 million acre-feet of water in 2027 and 2028. The agreement is intended to help stabilize the Colorado River system and prevent deeper federal cuts, including a potential 77 percent reduction in the Central Arizona Project’s Colorado River allocation over the next two years.
ADWR Director Tom Buschatzke said joining the lawsuit would help protect Arizona’s legal rights to Colorado River water while allowing the state to continue pursuing a negotiated agreement with Nevada and California.
The dispute comes amid ongoing efforts to determine how the Colorado River’s limited supplies will be shared among the states that depend on it. The river provides water to millions of people, farms and businesses across the Southwest.
Arizona officials say the lawsuit is intended to protect the state’s water interests while preserving the possibility of a cooperative agreement among Lower Basin states. Finalizing the Lower Basin Agreement remains a priority for the state.
