Arizona prepares for legal clash over Colorado River with $1 million bill

Arizona is ramping up its efforts to protect its share of the Colorado River’s dwindling water supply, as the state faces an uncertain future over the fate of one of the West’s most crucial resources.

A bill advanced Tuesday by the Arizona House Committee on Natural Resources, Energy and Water aims to allocate $1 million to defend the Grand Canyon State’s water rights as part of the ongoing battle over the Colorado River.

The bill, known as House Bill 2103, seeks to set aside the funds to support litigation in the event that negotiations among the seven states dependent on the river break down.

Arizona is preparing for the possibility of legal action if the ongoing discussions fail to resolve water allocation disputes.

The bill passed with unanimous support from the committee, though Democrats indicated they will propose an amendment to increase the allocation to $3 million, in line with Governor Katie Hobbs’ proposed budget.

State Representative Gail Griffin, a Republican from Tucson and the bill’s sponsor, told the committee, “It just shows we are ready to take action,” the Courthouse News Service reported.

The Colorado River, which feeds both Lake Mead and Lake Powell—critical water reservoirs for the Southwest—has been a vital source of water for more than 40 million people across the U.S. and Mexico.

But after years of drought and climate change, the river’s once-mighty flow is at its lowest levels in recorded history, prompting urgent discussions about how to share its shrinking resources before current agreements expire in 2026.

At the center of the debate are two factions: the Upper Basin states—Colorado, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming—and the Lower Basin states, which include Arizona, California and Nevada.

The Upper Basin states argue that their smaller reservoirs and more severe drought conditions justify keeping their water consumption levels higher, while the Lower Basin states, already committed to significant cuts, push for more aggressive reductions.

But as the clock ticks down toward 2026, when potential cuts could be enforced by the federal government, tensions are mounting over the distribution of the river’s limited water supply.

Arizona’s position is clear: it wants to be able to fight its corner if necessary and needs funds to do it.

The request for funds to potentially fight a legal battle was first proposed in September 2024 by Tom Buschatzke, the director of the Arizona Department of Water Resources.

Buschatzke has warned of a growing divide between the Upper and Lower Basin states, referring to the rift as a “Grand Canyon-sized chasm” that could lead to a standoff if compromise proves elusive.

“It doesn’t seem like the Upper Basin feels like they have any risk that any additional cuts to their use can be imposed upon them,” Buschatzke said in a previous interview with Newsweek.

“We think we have a strong case if we have to go to court.”

Despite the potential for litigation, Buschatzke stressed that legal action would be a last resort.

He said: “If we end up in court, which we don’t want, it would be begrudgingly because it’s kind of a last-gasp effort.”

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