Board hears water outlook as county assesses Secure Water Arizona (SWAP) participation

Supervisor Leman spent a long portion of the Aug. 17 meeting briefing the Board of Supervisors on Colorado River conditions and statewide water planning. He told the board Lake Powell sat at about 3,520 feet and Lake Mead around 1,040 feet — the latter the lowest since the reservoir was filled — and that a federal environmental impact statement creates a 10-year framework that could require lower-basin states to reduce use by up to 3 million acre-feet annually.

"Arizona, California, and Nevada have proposed annual reductions for 2027 and 2028 totaling 1.25 million acre feet," he said, adding Arizona's share in that proposal would be roughly 760,000 acre-feet annually. Leman said the final numbers will come when the Bureau of Reclamation issues a record of decision; he warned that litigation in the U.S. Supreme Court becomes more likely as the upper-basin states were not required to take mandatory cuts in the federal EIS.

Leman also summarized a proposed voluntary framework called Secure Water Arizona (SWAP) intended to create emergency water reserves and facilitate sharing among cities, tribes, irrigation districts and groundwater users. He said the Mojave County Water Authority is interested but will not commit until the board confirms that water conserved for SWAP can be legally created, quantified and protected from reallocation within Arizona.

On groundwater litigation, Leman said oral arguments in the Walapai Valley case went well and the basin faces an estimated annual groundwater deficit of roughly 50,474 acre-feet, with agricultural demand around 44,252 acre-feet across approximately 16,550 cultivated acres according to staff analysis.

Board members did not take immediate action but heard that county staff and the Mojave County Water Authority will continue monitoring state and federal developments and coordinate with member communities to protect on-river supplies.