Arizona and California are arguing over Colorado River water again β this time over whether it should be inscribed in law that California canβt take Arizonaβs share of river water thatβs 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 canβt take another stateβs water thatβs left behind in the lake β or whether such an effort could disrupt already delicate negotiations over the riverβs future.
Arizona water officials and U.S. Sen. Jeff Flake are interested in seeing such language go into a Western drought bill thatβs being negotiated in the U.S. Senate under the direction of Sen. Dianne Feinstein, a California Democrat.
βMy 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,β Flake told a meeting of Arizona and Tucson-area water officials last week.
Speaking at a water conference in Phoenix, he said, βWe want to make sure it doesnβt disappear behind a California canal.β
He said later that βit stands to reasonβ 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.
