KTAR News: Water Watch

A swath of cyber-attacks on U.S. water infrastructure over the last few weeks begs the question, could something like that happen here in Arizona? At the end of July, wastewater utilities in at least five states reported coordinated cyber breaches targeting programmable logic controllers, or the brain of the computer, that are connected to pumps, valves and pressure systems. 

Sedona is open for business! President of the Sedona Chamber of Commerce David Key says the off-season is a great time to visit, adding the city has experienced a dip in tourism following the Pocket Fire. He says while Oak Creek and some hiking trails are still closed, there are hundreds of miles of trails that are open. 

Sedona has a $1 billion a year hospitality industry, with 3/4 of that revenue generated from visitors. 

An Arizona water leader says the federal framework for the Colorado River doesn't provide enough certainty for the lower basin. Director of the ASU Kyl Center for Water Policy, Sarah Porter, told a SciLine webinar the Final Environmental Impact Statement is focused on protecting water infrastructure and the ability to produce hydropower. However, she adds it doesn't resolve conflict between the upper and lower basins. 

Low flows through the Grand Canyon are creating problems for wildlife and commercial boating. Flows down the Colorado River through the Grand Canyon have dropped significantly over the last year due to an abysmal winter and less releases from Lake Powell. 

An Arizona State University water expert has received an award from the United Nations for his work using NASA satellites to map groundwater. ASU global futures professor Jay Famiglietti will be presented with the Prince Sultan Bin Abdulaziz International Prize for Water at the UN office in Vienna later this year. Famiglietti explains his research uses gravity recovery and climate expert satellites to create maps that track groundwater movement. 

The Arizona Tri-University Recharge Project report looks at how to capture water across the state and increase groundwater recharge. Researchers from Northern Arizona University, Arizona State University and the University of Arizona used satellite-based methods to develop information. It found a massive amount of water is being lost to evapotranspiration, water loss through soil and plants. 

The Grand Canyon's water supply comes from snowmelt on the Kaibab Plateau. Professor of eco-hydrogeology at Northern Arizona University's School of Earth and Sustainability Abe Springer says the water quality has become more turbid, meaning the amount of sediment suspended in the water. 

If you think food prices are high now, they could get even higher as additional Colorado River water cuts are on the way. About 70% of the state's water supply goes to agriculture, but cutting ag means less food. Pinal County cotton farmer Todd Thelander says he first experienced water cuts in 2022. 

The city of Scottsdale is looking to acquire new water sources as it braces for Colorado River water cuts. Scottsdale gets about 70% of its water supply from the Central Arizona Project - Colorado River Water. Mayor Lisa Borowsky said the city is working to purchase 15,000 acre-feet of water for $8.25 million. 

Arizona water agencies have taken a key step that could eventually allow the state to buy desalinated water from Southern California. CAP, the Arizona Department of Water Resources and the Nevada Water Authority have all signed a memorandum of understanding with a desalination plant in Carlsbad. CAP President Terry Goddard says there are a lot of legal complications because there is no existing framework to move Colorado River water across state lines. 

Arizona has received a $20 million grant from the Environmental Protection Agency to address PFAs in our drinking water. PFAs, also known as forever chemicals, are compound chemicals found in waterproof clothing, nonstick cookware like Teflon and foam used by fire fighters. Luis Garcia Bakarich with the EPA water division says PFAs have migrated into our groundwater and surface water. 

The City of Phoenix is modeling the behavior it would like to see from its residents when it comes to water conservation. Phoenix Vice-Mayor Kesha Hodge Washinton says the city's Aviation Department has saved 27-million gallons annually by replacing grass with native vegetation and updating airport cooling towers. 

A judge sided with the Home Builders Association of Central Arizona when it ruled the Arizona Department of Water Resources can't use what the judge called new rules to prevent developers from building. Developers were prevented from building in the West Valley because any new subdivision would deplete the aquifer in the East Valley. ADWR Director Tom Buschatzke said groundwater is all connected. Representing the Home Builders Association, Vice President of Litigation for the Goldwater Institute Jon Riches said this new standard hurt the housing market. 

A judge sided with the Home Builders Association of Central Arizona when it ruled the Arizona Department of Water Resources can't use what the judge called new rules to prevent developers from building. Developers were prevented from building in the West Valley because any new subdivision would deplete the aquifer in the East Valley. ADWR Director Tom Buschatzke said groundwater is all connected. Representing the Home Builders Association, Vice President of Litigation for the Goldwater Institute Jon Riches said this new standard hurt the housing market. 

The three lower basin states, Arizona, California and Nevada, have come to an agreement on how to conserve more than 3 million acre feet of Colorado River water over the next 2 years. Arizona is committing to a 27% mandatory reduction of its Colorado River supply or 10% of the state's total annual water use. 

The City of Peoria is undertaking a $40 million project to drill three new groundwater wells to be able to meet demand. The extra wells are to prepare for potential Colorado River water cuts as Peoria gets about 60% of their water supply from the Central Arizona Project. The groundwater wells are also needed to support the Amkor semiconductor packaging facility coming to the area. 

The City of Phoenix says it is not running out of water but will need to tap into backup supplies to meet demand over the next 10 years. Phoenix recently looked at its water supply and demand then evaluated how potential Colorado River water cuts will impact its water management. 

There's a new bipartisan push to secure drought resiliency funding for the Southwest. Arizona U.S. Representatives Greg Stanton and Andy Biggs sent a letter to the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation asking for at least $450 million in Inflation Reduction Act funding to be released for water projects. Biggs says it should be used to get the desalination plant in Yuma up and running. 

Salt River Project is confident they have enough water to meet demand following a warmer than normal spring. The entire SRP reservoir system, as whole, is about 54% full right now. SRP Senior Hydrologist Jake Richardson says while we had decent rain in the fall, low snowpack and an unseasonably warm spring made it difficult for much for that water runoff to reach the reservoirs. 

Volunteers filled up an entire dumpster with trash following a cleanup at the Tres Rios wetlands earlier this month. The annual cleanup happens every April to coincide with Earth Month. Phoenix Water Assistant Director Nazario Prieto says while there is an illegal dumping problem, sometimes folks recreating out there leave their trash behind too. 

The U.S. Geological Survey has a new AI tool to predict drought conditions of the nation's rivers up to three months out. The free public tool from the USGS shows 80% of Arizona's rivers are in streamflow drought as of this week, with no signs of improving. 

The Bureau of Reclamation will likely be making a decision on a new Colorado River operating agreement in the next two weeks. U.S. Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum tells the Mike Broomhead Show the more than 100-year-old treaty was created during a wet cycle, adding some cuts will have to be implemented due to sustained drought.