Phoenix Mayor and Climate Mayors Chairperson Kate Gallego and Other Western Mayors Call for Increased Federal and State Assistance with the Colorado River

Last week, Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego and other Western Mayors committed to combatting climate change released a document outlining several strategies for the federal government to assist with providing additional water security for western states and cities that rely on the Colorado River.

The authors of the document, from the bipartisan organization Climate Mayors (which Gallego currently chairs) starts by stating “The climate crisis threatens water security across the world” and “Current water use levels and patterns across all sectors cannot be maintained in the face of increasing water scarcity due to climate change,” citing nearly a 30 percent increase in drought related disasters over the last 25 years, profound increases in wildfires over the last ten years, and a projected rise in water scarcity as cities grow in population from 933 million people in 2016 to perhaps 2.37 billion in 2050.

Reporting from Ian James at the Los Angeles Times notes that the Colorado River provides water for seven states as well as 30 Native American Communities in the region.

The article also reminded readers that snowfall this last winter in the Rocky Mountains, the runoff that helps feed the Colorado River, was “meager” and right now, “The water level of Lake Powell, on the Utah-Arizona border, now sits at 34% of capacity. Downstream near Las Vegas, Lake Mead is about 31% full.“

After referencing how cities, with individual case studies from Phoenix, Las Vegas, Salt Lake, Santa Monica, Los Angeles, have launched efforts to improve water security through various means including “minimizing water consumption, using alternative water sources, reducing wastewater discharge, using water efficiency measure, storm water capture, desalination, recycling or reclaiming wastewater for beneficial uses, and water conservation education/security,” the writers recommended options for federal and state governments to consider in assisting with “water resilience” for the Colorado River. These include:

“Federal Recommendations 

• Invest additional funding to water and drought mitigation programs and water and wastewater infrastructure
• Restore FEMA Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) program
• End federal taxation of water conservation rebates, creating the same tax conditions that energy conservation rebates have enjoyed for years and encouraging conservation by reducing recipient costs and utility administrative burden
• Create block grant programs available to local governments and states to allow for flexible grant funding to increase water efficiency programs across the West (such as funding to create water leak monitoring programs, residential rebates, and more) – similar to the Energy Efficiency Block Grant Program
•  The Department of Interior and Bureau of Reclamation should exert their authority to ensure sustainable management of the Colorado River system that strengthens water security for future generations; ongoing negotiations related to post-2026 Colorado River system operations must be based on the concept of permanent measures for all states and sectors  
• Create a local government advisory commission or other official channel to include local government voices that represent communities in Western Water decisions
•  Invest unobligated federal drought money to local and tribal governments for flexible water resilience use, such as: water recycling infrastructure, natural drought resiliency infrastructure, stormwater reuse projects, etc. 
• Use Presidential Emergency Authority to designate drought conditions in the West as a natural disaster to initiate increased funding to vital communities 

 State Recommendations

• Align and integrate local governments into state water and climate planning 
• Collaborate with and integrate local governments into the Upper and Lower Colorado River basin negotiations, especially in instances in which they are the primary water users
• Invest in state drought resiliency fund for water recycling infrastructure programs for local governments and farmers to reduce uptake of water from Colorado River Basin
• Regularly coordinate and convene state, local, agricultural, tribal, and private entities to address state water goals and identify cross-sectoral solutions as well as public-private partnerships and investments 
• Allocate state funding and/or expertise to assist communities with 1) water infrastructure, such as smart meters, aging pipelines, and water reuse facilities; 2) rate studies and rate design; 3) long range resiliency planning such as state water plans, land use plans, and economic development plans; and 4) conservation incentive programs
• Develop programs to help communities with revenue stabilization and water affordability as water demand decreases.”

Issuing a statement with the release of the document, Mayor Gallego remarked:

“Western cities are confronting the reality that climate change is threatening access to water resources, and leading innovative and collaborative efforts to protect our shared supply. In our mission to make Phoenix the most sustainable desert city in the world, we’ve implemented forward-thinking policies, such as requiring our largest water users to recycle at least a third of the water they use, resulting in a 30-year trend of year-over-year reductions in water use. Climate Mayors’ Western Waters initiative highlights cities’ innovative conservation best practices and invites our state and federal partners to join us in being the best stewards we can be of our limited freshwater resources, especially in the threatened Colorado River basin.”

She also posted on social media:

“The Colorado River is under strain, and cities are working to do more with less. We’re investing in conservation and innovation, but we need strong partners at every level. As Chair of @ClimateMayors, I’m urging state and federal leaders to join us.”

Climate Mayors Executive Director Kate Wright added:

“Climate Mayors are tackling the challenge of water scarcity with creativity and innovation. But we need help from our state and federal partners. The federal government needs to double down on solving our water crisis in the west, not walk away from it. Our Call to Action asks our state and federal partners to join us in leading the charge on water security and ensure western communities continue to enjoy safe, reliable, and affordable access to water, no matter where they live.” 

Commenting to Ian James at the LA Times, Mayor Gallego added:

“Every part of the river system has been impacted by climate change, and so we need to talk about what’s the best way to address those changes, and how to spread the impact most intelligently. Our group of Western mayors thinks this really needs to be a local, state and federal priority.”

Asked if the federal government, currently dominated by climate denying Donald Trump and his science denying supporters will come through with the needed assistance, the Mayor replied “We’re very hopeful to see Washington, D.C., make this a big priority. We need to do everything we can to stretch existing supplies further.”

Furthermore, she added, if they do not act “could lead to ‘extensive litigation and a lot of paralysis along the river system.’”

At the Arizona State Capitol, Governor Katie Hobbs, Senate Democratic Leader Priya Sundareshan, and a bipartisan group of local leaders have striven to advance water security measures through the Rural Groundwater Act and educate residents on the need for greater water conservation and sustainability programs.

Unfortunately, while some progress has been made with the AG to Urban Water Security Measure, MAGA Science Denying Republican obstructionism has dominated, not allowing any hearings on the Rural Groundwater Act.

Hopefully, the efforts of Gallego, the Climate Mayors, Hobbs, Sundareshan, and the other bipartisan local leaders that believe the science will be able to convince the science deniers in Trump World to see reason.

Hopefully.