Partner Resources
Reports, information, and useful tools from our partners.
ADWR
ARIZONA'S WATER SUPPLIES: Over the last decade and a half, the Southwest has experienced significant drought conditions. These conditions can lead to changes in our state's water supply availability. Fortunately, Arizona has developed a diverse portfolio of water supplies and management strategies which serve as the foundation of our State's robust water system. This diversity allows Arizona to more effectively manage water resources, allows the state to subsist with the effects of existing drought conditions and provides more options in planning for our states future economic growth.
ASU
The Kyl Center for Water Policy developed this tool to show groundwater level changes across the state's sub-basins for 1-year (2017-18), 10-year (2008-18) and 20-year (1998-2018) time periods. The data for these features come primarily from the Arizona Department of Water Resources (ADWR) Statewide Groundwater Level Changes report (Open-File Report No.18, December 2020).
10 STRATEGIES
TEN STRATEGIES FOR CLIMATE RESILIENCE IN THE COLORADO RIVER BASIN. This report was authored by Martin & McCoy and Culp & Kelly, LLP, on behalf of American Rivers, Environmental Defense Fund, National Audubon Society, The Nature Conservancy, Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership, Trout Unlimited, and the Western Resource Advocates.
ASU
The Authority Podcast: We'll continue our conversation about plumbing resiliency, drought prevention, and water reuse with Sarah Porter, Director of the Kyl Center for Water Policy at Arizona State University’s Morrison Institute for Public Policy; Micah Thomas, Senior Director of Program Development and Compliance at the Green Building Initiative, also known as GBI; Pat Sinicropi, Executive Director at the WateReuse Association; and Mike Collignan, Executive Director and Co-Founder of the Green Builder Coalition.
USBR
The operation of Lake Powell and Lake Mead in this July 2021 24-Month Study is pursuant to the December 2007 Record of Decision on Colorado River Interim Guidelines for Lower Basin Shortages and the Coordinated Operations of Lake Powell and Lake Mead (Interim Guidelines), and reflects the 2021 Annual Operating Plan (AOP). Pursuant to the Interim Guidelines, the August 2020 24-Month Study projections of the January 1, 2021, system storage and reservoir water surface elevations set the operational tier for the coordinated operation of Lake Powell and Lake Mead during 2021.
ASU
The iconic images of the bathtub ring around Lake Mead caused by falling water levels have been viewed by millions around the country and the world. Lake Mead has become the symbol of what happens when climate change meets over-allocation of a fragile water supply. Seeing is believing, and there is now a near-universal belief that changes are needed to help sustain the Colorado River.
CAP/ADWR
ARIZONA – STRONGER TOGETHER. As we face the prospect of a hotter and drier future, we are confident that with our long history of successful collaboration among our diverse stakeholders – agriculture, tribes, cities, environment and industry – we will continue to find innovative and effective solutions to sustain Arizona’s Colorado River supply.
Arizona Institutes for Resilience
Perspectives on Regional Water Sustainability. Water for Arizona Coalition member, Haley Paul joins Arizona Institutes for Resilience to discuss how we should define water sustainability in an era of climate change, and shifts in socio-economic conditions and community priorities. What does water sustainability look like in the Colorado River basin? What are the paths forward to more inclusive solutions?
CAP/ADWR
A joint message from the Arizona Department of Water Resources and Central Arizona Project. As the drought in the Colorado River Basin extends beyond its 20th year, we anticipate the first-ever shortage declaration on the Colorado River. The shortage will result in a substantial cut to Arizona’s share of the river, with reductions falling largely to central Arizona agricultural users.
Center for Colorado River Studies
Alternative Management Paradigms for the Future of the Colorado and Green Rivers.
Our ability to sustainably manage the Colorado River is clearly in doubt. The Bureau of Reclamation’s 2012 Water Supply and Demand Study demonstrated the precarious balance that currently exists between water supply and the amount consumptively used by society.
AMWUA
Jointly issued by: ADEQ, ADWR, AMWUA, CAP, SRP
Water is critical to public health, our quality of life, the desert environment and our economy. That is why we are all doing our part to ensure you always have water at your tap, even during times of concern.
We have planned and invested in robust and resilient water supplies, infrastructure and processes so that your local water provider can deliver you water every day of every year.
CAP
CAP begins 2021 with eye on CAWCD’s new Board Strategic Plan
At its December board meeting, the Central Arizona Water Conservation District Board of Directors unanimously approved a new Strategic Plan.
The process to develop the Plan began in late 2019 and included Board interviews and retreats, stakeholder forums and employee surveys. More than 35 organizations participated and provided input into the strategic planning process.
Arizona State University
New research director for Kyl Center focused on equity in water access.
“Access to clean water is a fundamental need of every person on Earth, and yet we're still so far from fulfilling that need, even in Arizona. I want the research and teaching I do at ASU to help us overcome the barriers that prevent people from having secure access to safe water.”
AMWUA
Leading Through Collaboration and Cooperation. With foresight and an understanding of the water challenges that life in the desert can bring, mayors from Valley cities gathered to discuss how to work together on water issues more than 50 years ago. They then formed a unique and innovative partnership – the Arizona Municipal Water Users Association (AMWUA). Over time it would become a collaboration of ten member municipalities working for the common purpose of safeguarding water resources in the Valley.
ADWR
2020 Year In Review: Overcoming Pandemic Hurdles To Continue Serving The Public. In terms of water management, the “success story” of 2019 couldn’t have been bigger. Arizona lawmakers and Gov. Doug Ducey approved the Arizona Drought Contingency Plan in January of that year, and, months later, Arizona joined the other Colorado River Basin states and the federal government in signing the agreements dedicated to help stabilize the vital river system.
AMWUA
To ensure we have water not only today, but for the long-term, our diligence and work never ends, and 2021 will certainly be no exception. While we know the Colorado River will receive much attention this year, other important issues must also be addressed, including our future groundwater management.
Walton Family Foundation
Colorado’s food producers are protecting water supply for the benefit of the economy and environment. Disruptions to our daily lives have a way of making us appreciate things that we might normally take for granted. In the midst of a global pandemic, access to clean water and healthy food seems more vital than ever. This extraordinary situation motivates us all to take a step back to examine what we can do to ensure the long-term security of our most precious natural resources.
CAP
The Central Arizona Water Conservation District Board of Directors (CAWCD) convened virtually on Thursday, Jan. 7, 2021 for its January 2021 board meeting. CAWCD Board President Lisa Atkins chaired the meeting from the headquarters boardroom and all other board members participated via WebEx. The public was invited to watch the livestream and to provide public comment. CAWCD Board meetings will be held virtually through at least March 2021, in accordance with CAP’s headquarters closure to keep employees safe and water flowing during the COVID-19 pandemic.

ASU
Attitudes and Opinions About Environmental Issues in Arizona. A representative sample of 800 Arizona registered voters was surveyed in March 2017 and again in January 2020 (separate samples) to gauge Arizona voters’ attitudes toward and beliefs about the environment and environmental protection. Morrison Institute for Public Policy at ASU designed the questionnaire, compiled the data and conducted the analysis for Nina Mason Pulliam Charitable Trust.
AMWUA
Healthy Infrastructure Makes our Communities Stronger. Our cities’ infrastructure is vital to making our daily lives function smoothly. Of all infrastructure types, water systems are the most fundamental to life by providing the delivery of safe and clean water to households, industries, and businesses. Water is critical to our health and is essential to our way of life and a thriving economy.
AMWUA
Behind every drop of water that comes from your tap is a vast and complicated system of technology, logistics, and engineering that ensures you always have water on-demand and at the highest levels of safety and quality. Once your water provider has treated water to safe drinking water standards, it is delivered to homes and businesses. An important part of this process is a complex tracking system for your water utility to account for the billions of gallons they deliver each year.
ADWR
No Surprises: Drought Group Again Recommends Governor Extend Drought Emergency Declaration.
Other than sunrise and sunset, the world provides precious few “sure things.”So, maybe it was not an absolute sure thing that Arizona’s Drought Interagency Coordinating Group would recommend to the Governor that the State’s drought-emergency declaration should be extended once again.

CAP
The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation has issued its August 24-Month Study. The purpose of this study is to project the year-end elevation of Lake Mead, which in turn determines the 2021 Lower Basin water supply conditions for CAP. BOR projects the Lake Mead elevation will be 1085.3’ on Jan. 1, 2021, which signals the Tier Zero supply of Colorado River water will continue for 2021.
ADWR
On July 25, 2019, the Glen Canyon Dam Adaptive Management Program, or GCDAMP, sponsored an eight-day Colorado River raft trip through the Grand Canyon for the organization’s stakeholders, which include members of government and science-oriented agencies whose duties include conditional analysis and research of the river.

USBR
The operation of Lake Powell and Lake Mead in this August 2020 24-Month Study is pursuant to the December 2007 Record of Decision on Colorado River Interim Guidelines for Lower Basin Shortages and the Coordinated Operations of Lake Powell and Lake Mead (Interim Guidelines), and reflects the 2020 Annual Operating Plan (AOP).

AMWUA
Part II: Safe-yield has been a valuable goal to motivate water users to focus on groundwater sustainability, which has led to progress in the Phoenix Active Management Area (AMA) over the first 40 years following the Groundwater Management Act (GMA). Now is the time to consider if more comprehensive goals are needed for us to address all of our current groundwater issues effectively.
ADWR
Now, the Arizona Department of Water Resources (ADWR) and Central Arizona Project (CAP) are using this same approach to develop an Arizona consensus on the “reconsultation” of the Colorado River Interim Guidelines for Lower Basin Shortages and the Coordinated Operations for Lake Powell and Lake Mead, known as the 2007 Guidelines.

AMWUA
Through this two-part series on safe-yield, we will look back at the past, acknowledge how far we have come, and discuss the challenges we still collectively face as we move forward. The effectiveness of safe-yield as a water management goal has been periodically questioned throughout the 40 years that have followed the Groundwater Management Act (GMA).

CAP
The Central Arizona Water Conservation District Board of Directors (CAWCD) convened virtually today for its June 2020 meeting. CAWCD Board President Lisa Atkins chaired the meeting from the headquarters boardroom and all other board members participated via WebEx. The public was invited to watch the livestream and to provide public comment via the Board’s online “Blue Card.”

ASU
ASU’s Kyl Center for Water Policy held design workshops with over 200 experts in water, land use, environmental and economic development. Input from these experts helped us to create the Arizona Water Blueprint. The Blueprint is a data-rich, interactive map of the state’s water resources and infrastructure. It also offers multimedia content on important water-related topics.

ADWR
Press Release: A Statement on the 40th Anniversary of Arizona Groundwater Management Act of 1980. June 10, 2020 – Friday, June 12, marks the 40th anniversary of the Arizona Groundwater Management Act of 1980, the law that changed the trajectory of water use in Arizona.

AMWUA
Wildfires Impact on our Water. Wildfires devastate forest vegetation. They leave behind large amounts of ash, heavy metals, organic materials, and sediments that then flow into the rivers and accumulate in reservoirs. The damage to the watershed significantly affects both the quality and sustainability of the water.

CAP
CAP faces a variety of biological challenges on a regular basis. While some of these challenges threaten our ability to deliver water, others focus on conserving fish and wildlife that share our resources.
This annual report highlights activities performed throughout the year and identifies future areas of need.

ADWR
PHOENIX – The United States Bureau of Reclamation (Reclamation) has released its April 24 Month Study, which projects Colorado River operations for the next two years. The study projects the operating conditions of the Colorado River system, as well as runoff and reservoir conditions.

CAP
Learn more about this project with Darrin Francom, Director of Operations and Engineering at Central Arizona Project.