Arizona

Arizona announces $233M in Colorado River water savings plan

Published

2 years ago

April 7, 2023

Arizona announces 3M in Colorado River water savings plan

Joe Duhownik

PHOENIX (CN) — On the heels of one of many wettest Arizona winters in historical past, federal, state, native and tribal leaders united Thursday to announce a complete of $233 million in funding for water conservation agreements to assist the Gila River Indian Group and different Colorado River customers.

Taken collectively, officers stated, the investments are projected to save lots of roughly 200,000 acre-feet of water yearly and supply sufficient water for greater than half 1,000,000 folks per 12 months. They’re additionally projected to boost the water degree by two ft every year in Lake Mead — a important however quickly depleting reservoir that straddles Arizona and Nevada.

Regardless of latest rain and snow, the Colorado River — a lifeline for communities all through the U.S. Southwest — stays strikingly low and is forecasted to hit new file low water ranges this month.

In a day press convention, Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs, Gila River Indian Group Governor Stephen Roe Lewis and different federal representatives detailed three separate agreements with the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation that they hope will collectively information Arizona via the continuing water disaster.

“Even with this welcome climate, conservation is extra essential now than ever,” Hobbs stated. “The challenges dealing with Arizona and the 40 million individuals who depend on the Colorado River can’t be solved by a lone moist winter, which is why conservation tasks like these are so important.”

Funding for the tasks comes from the Biden administration’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Regulation and Inflation Discount Act, including as much as the biggest local weather funding in U.S. historical past, stated Deputy Secretary of the Inside Tommy Beaudreau.

The Gila River Indian Group will obtain as much as $50 million in funding via the Decrease Colorado River Basin System Conservation and Effectivity program, which goals to guard Colorado River reservoir storage volumes.

It would obtain one other $50 million in each 2024 and 2025. This system is anticipated to preserve as much as 125,000 acre-feet of water per 12 months over the three-year settlement.

“Conservatively, that is sufficient water for at the least half 1,000,000 folks,” Deputy Bureau of Reclamation Commissioner David Palumbo stated to a spherical of applause from the viewers.

One other $83 million will go towards the Gila River Indian Group’s Reclaimed Water Pipeline Mission. The challenge goals to extend water reuse by connecting reclaimed water to the Pima-Maricopa Irrigation Mission amenities. When accomplished, the challenge will present as much as 20,000 acre-feet yearly for system conservation, with a minimal of 78,000 acre-feet of the saved water dedicated to Lake Mead.

Building on the 19-mile pipeline is ready to start subsequent month, and shall be full by the top of 2024, Palumbo stated.

Lewis applauded the truth that the supplies for the pipeline are sourced from Arizona. The pipe will come from Diamond Plastics, an organization primarily based in Casa Grande.

Lastly, Lewis introduced funding for a portion of a solar-covered canal challenge within the Gila River Indian Group to cut back evaporation and improve electrical power output.

“That is really a path to a greener future, he stated, which might assist with “attacking the basis explanation for local weather change” and “shifting us ahead to a internet zero economic system for a sovereign tribal nation.”

Seven U.S. states, together with Arizona, sit within the basin of the Colorado River.

Nonetheless looming over all seven of the is Bureau of Reclamation’s instruction to save lots of two to 4 million acre-feet per 12 months of Colorado River water.

In the event that they fail to take action, the Bureau will implement cuts of its personal.

Whereas 200,000 could seem insignificant to such a big quantity, Palumbo emphasised that each water droplet helps.

“These incremental financial savings via the agreements that we’re reaching will preserve constructing elevation in Lake Mead, so reductions that should occur sooner or later are minimized,” he stated. He added that comparable agreements shall be introduced throughout the basin within the coming months.

Mayors from the cities of Phoenix and Tucson attended the information convention as effectively, the place they spoke on the significance of collaboration on the metropolis degree.

“As cities, we’re the financial and inhabitants facilities of the state,” Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego stated. “We take our position very critically in guaranteeing the wellbeing of our residents and ecosystems.”

She described a number of Phoenix-based industries which are “important to our complete nation” and that depend on sustainable water provide, together with semiconductors, pharmaceutical manufacturing and extra.

“That’s why it’s so essential that we work collectively to make sure we’ve got sturdy water provides to make sure the prosperity and security of our nation,” she added.

Phoenix companions with town of Tucson to preserve Colorado River water via the Central Arizona Mission. In 2022, Phoenix contributed 30,000 acre-feet of its Colorado River water allocation to preservation of Lake Mead, Gallego stated.

Tucson Mayor Regina Romero referred to as Tucson “some of the water resilient cities within the Western United States.”

Since 2017, town has contributed 48,000 acre-feet of Colorado River water allocation to protect Lake Mead, Romero stated. She introduced a contribution of one other 110,000 acre-feet of town’s river water allocation over the subsequent three years, drawing the third spherical of applause of the afternoon.

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Arizona

How air pollution plays a role during Arizona’s deadliest months of the year

Published

56 minutes ago

December 23, 2024

Press Room

How air pollution plays a role during Arizona’s deadliest months of the year

PHOENIX (AZFamily) — Maricopa County has declared Monday through Wednesday as ‘no burn days.’ County leaders say there are elevated levels of smoke in the air.

The poor air quality was visible in the Valley Monday as the Arizona’s Family news drone captured video of the layers of pollution. It could be seen from Camelback Mountain through downtown Phoenix.

It’s common to see the dirty air this time of year. There are more people visiting Arizona through the holidays, which means more cars and more air pollution.

There are also more people burning inside to heat their homes, which sends smoke into the air. People will also light off fireworks around the holidays, which can add to the already poor air quality.

While the weather is beautiful around the Valley this time of year, it can be the deadliest time in Arizona. According to numbers from the Arizona Department of Health Services, January is the deadliest month of the year.

In 2022, more than 8,300 people died in Arizona, nearly 2,000 more than any other month. December was second-highest, with more than 6,700 people who died.

Air pollution could be a contributing factor to the increased deaths in our state.

Dr. Ashley Lowe with the College of Nursing at the University of Arizona works with many Arizona schools. She says these months are when more kids are going to the nurse with breathing problems and says air pollution is a big reason why.

“We do tend to have an uptick in the number of visits to the health office because kids are having breathing problems,” Lowe said. “All of these things come together to create a perfect storm.”

Dr. Lowe says kids with asthma can especially be impacted from the dirty air. She says she doesn’t want kids to stay away from their practices and other events, but it’s best to limit exposure outdoors on some of the worst air quality days.

If you are struggling to breathe, shutting the windows and doors around your home can help by keeping the polluted air outside of your home.

An indoor air filter can also clean out the bad particles from the air inside your home.

The weather also plays a role in why the bad air can stick around for days or even weeks this time of year. While it’s beautiful outside, the weather is normally calm which means there is no wind or rain to push the dirty air away.

“We live already in a valley kind of in a bowl and everything kind of settles. You get warm afternoons and cold mornings so that inversion sets in and it kind of traps everything,” Arizona’s Family First Alert Meteorologist April Warnecke said. “It would help to get wind or rain but those are the two things we don’t have in the forecast.”

Air quality trackers can show where the worst of the polluted air is.

According to AirNow, Christmas and New Year’s can have the worst air quality of the year. There were readings of “very unhealthy” air quality during the holidays in 2023.

The CDC says chronic respiratory disease is the fifth leading cause of death in Arizona each year.

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Arizona

College Football Playoff odds: Penn State, Texas, Ohio State, Georgia favored in 2nd round

Published

12 hours ago

December 23, 2024

Press Room

College Football Playoff odds: Penn State, Texas, Ohio State, Georgia favored in 2nd round

Who is favored in College Football Playoff quarterfinal odds?

Check out the point spread, moneyline and over/under (point total) for all four quarterfinal games on Dec. 31 and Jan. 1, courtesy of BetMGM Sportsbook.

No. 3 Boise State faces No. 6 Penn State in the Fiesta Bowl on Tuesday, Dec. 31.

On Wednesday, Jan. 1, No. 4 Arizona State takes on No. 5 Texas in the Peach Bowl, No. 1 Oregon plays No. 8 Ohio State in the Rose Bowl and No. 2 Georgia opposes No. 7 Notre Dame in the Sugar Bowl.

The lower seed is interestingly currently favored in betting odds for three of the four CFP quarterfinal matchups, with Arizona State the biggest underdog as almost a 2-touchdown underdog against Texas.

College Football Playoff quarterfinal odds: Point spreads

Penn State (-10.5) vs Boise State (+10.5)
Texas (-13.5) vs Arizona State (+13.5)
Ohio State (-2.5) vs Oregon (+2.5)
Notre Dame (+1.5) vs Georgia (-1.5)

College Football Playoff quarterfinal odds: Moneylines

Penn State (-450) vs Boise State (+340)
Texas (-550) vs Arizona State (+400)
Ohio State (-130) vs Oregon (+110)
Notre Dame (+105) vs Georgia (-125)

College Football Playoff quarterfinal odds: Over/unders (point totals)

Penn State vs Boise State: 52.5
Texas vs Arizona State: 52.5
Ohio State vs Oregon: 53.5
Notre Dame vs Georgia: 44.5

Reach Jeremy Cluff at jeremy.cluff@arizonarepublic.com. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter @Jeremy_Cluff.

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Arizona

Tommy Lloyd Giving Arizona Wildcats Mandatory Break During Holidays

Published

20 hours ago

December 23, 2024

Press Room

Tommy Lloyd Giving Arizona Wildcats Mandatory Break During Holidays

This season has not gone as many expected for Arizona.

After coming into the year ranked No. 10 in preseason polls, the Wildcats quickly dropped out of the picture following losses to Wisconsin and Duke which were a precursor of what was to come.

Arizona went into the Battle 4 Atlantis tournament as one of the favorites, and after beating Davidson in their first-round matchup by over 30 points, it looked like they had gotten things back on track and were ready to play like the team many expected them to be.

But, alarm bells went off when they lost back-to-back games against Oklahoma and West Virginia that pushed them under .500 for the first time in the Tommy Lloyd era, and also the first time in 14 years.

Since then, Arizona has taken care of business against the lesser opponents on their schedule but failed to win against UCLA despite being in control for the majority of that contest.

The Wildcats closed out their non-conference schedule in style following that loss, bludgeoning Samford and Central Michigan to head into the holiday break feeling more positive about what they can accomplish going forward, while also having a lot to think about.

Lloyd and the players know this wasn’t the early-season stretch they wanted, but he gave his team a clear directive during this break; take time away from basketball.

“Rest, relax, love your family, hang out. That’s the homework,” the head coach said per Bruce Pascoe of The Arizona Daily Star.

That’s probably a good approach.

There’s nothing anyone can do about what has already taken place, but they can certainly get burned out if they’re not careful and lose confidence if they dwell on mistakes.

“I mean, this nonconference was rough. I think we all need a little break and a reset,” KJ Lewis said.

Lloyd is giving his players that time to reset, sending everyone home for the holidays or somewhere with either friends or family.

This time away should hopefully allow Arizona to put the non-conference schedule in the past and get ready for the daunting challenge that will come by playing Big 12 opponents until Selection Sunday.

Lloyd is also hoping this let’s his team get motivated for their return to the court.

“Get hungry. Get hungry because we know when we come back — we’re excited to be starting this Big 12 thing we’ve been talking about for about 20 months. We’re fired up,” he added.

Arizona welcomes TCU into the McKale Center on Dec. 30.

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