Arizona and California are arguing over Colorado River water again โ this time over whether it should be inscribed in law that California canโt take Arizonaโs share of river water thatโs left in Lake Mead to prop up lake levels.
The dispute is over whether it would benefit the troubled river system to guarantee in writing that one state canโt take another stateโs water thatโs left behind in the lake โ or whether such an effort could disrupt already delicate negotiations over the riverโs future.
Arizona water officials and U.S. Sen. Jeff Flake are interested in seeing such language go into a Western drought bill thatโs being negotiated in the U.S. Senate under the direction of Sen. Dianne Feinstein, a California Democrat.
โMy No. 1 priority is that if we have a voluntary agreement to leave water behind the dam, that the water stays with the user who put it there,โ Flake told a meeting of Arizona and Tucson-area water officials last week.
Speaking at a water conference in Phoenix, he said, โWe want to make sure it doesnโt disappear behind a California canal.โ
He said later that โit stands to reasonโ that water users who voluntarily leave some of their share in the lake should have firm assurance that it will stay there.
California water officials say such language would be unnecessary and counterproductive, leading to future conflicts at a time when all seven river basin states are trying to manage the ailing river collaboratively.
