Daniel Salzler No. 1164 EnviroInsight.org Four Items August 19, 2022
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1. PRESS RELEASE
ARIZONA DEPARTMENT OF WATER RESOURCES Doug MacEachern dmaceachern@azwater.gov 602-510-0104
CENTRAL ARIZONA PROJECT Crystal Thompson cthompson@cap-az.com 623-869-2138
Statement from ADWR Director Tom Buschatzke and CAP General Manager Ted Cooke in response to the U.S. Department of the Interior announcement of actions to protect the Colorado River system and 2023 Operating Conditions for Lake Powell and Lake Mead.
Since Commissioner Touton’s Senate testimony in June, Arizona has been working hard with the Basin States and Reclamation to identify actions that would take the necessary critical steps to conserve an additional 2-4 million acre-feet (MAF) to protect the Colorado River system.
The Arizona Department of Water Resources (ADWR) and the Central Arizona Project (CAP) came to the table prepared to take significant additional reductions beyond those required under the 2007 Guidelines and the Drought Contingency Plan with the expectation that others would need to do likewise, as no one state can do it alone.
Arizona and Nevada put forward an aggressive proposal that would achieve 2 MAF of reductions among the Lower Basin and Mexico in 2023 and beyond. That proposal was rejected.
Discussions among the Basin States and the United States have only led to a framework relying entirely on short-term, voluntary contributions for 2023 that fall far short of the water volumes needed to protect the system.
The Basin States have not yet produced a viable plan nor has the United States proposed a plan that achieves the protection volumes identified by the Commissioner.
Achieving volumes at this magnitude will take significant contributions by all water users in the Colorado River Basin.
Arizona already has demonstrated its commitment by leaving 800,000 acre-feet in Lake Mead in the current year alone. Since 2014, Arizona has left more than 2.5 MAF, equating to approximately 37 feet of increased elevation in Lake Mead.
It is unacceptable for Arizona to continue to carry a disproportionate burden of reductions for the benefit of others who have not contributed.
Arizona is committed to work toward a comprehensive plan that assures protection of the system through equitable contributions from all water users.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE AUGUST 16, 2022
2. Colorado River Shortage FAQs WHAT IS CAUSING THE SHORTAGE ON THE COLORADO RIVER?
The Colorado River Basin has been in a prolonged drought, exacerbated by climate change. We are experiencing the driest conditions in the basin in more than 1,200 years – and these conditions are expected to continue well into the future. The resulting reduced river flows are further stressing the over- allocated Colorado River.
The U.S. Secretary of the Interior bases a shortage declaration on the elevation of Lake Mead,
which is dependent upon releases from Lake Powell. In fact, both Lake Powell and Lake Mead are approaching critical elevations and will require unprecedented management actions to protect infrastructure in both the Upper (Colorado, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming) and Lower (Arizona, California, Nevada and parts of Mexico) Colorado River Basins.
WHAT DOES A SHORTAGE ON THE COLORADO RIVER MEAN FOR ARIZONA?
A shortage means a reduction in the supply available to Lower Colorado River water users. Per the 2007 Interim Guidelines and the 2019 Drought Contingency Plan, Arizona was in a Tier Zero shortage for 2020 and 2021 and a Tier 1 shortage for 2022. The current Tier 1 shortage constitutes about 30% of CAP’s normal supply; about 18% of Arizona’s Colorado River supply; and less than 8% of Arizona’s total water use.
As the impacts of drought persist, there will be additional reductions, almost certainly beyond the currently defined shortage levels. Since Central Arizona Project has a junior priority in the Lower Colorado River Basin and shares a junior priority within Arizona, those reductions are likely to significantly impact CAP water users. There is much uncertainty at the moment about what the situation will be in 2023 and beyond. To address the risk, the federal government has said the states must have a plan by mid-August.
WHY ARE ADDITIONAL REDUCTIONS NECESSARY – ABOVE WHAT’S ALREADY BEING CONSERVED AS PART OF THE TIER 1 SHORTAGE?
The impacts of drought and the effects of climate change have resulted in unprecedented conditions on the Colorado River. Over the last 23 years, the annual runoff in the Colorado River Basin for the majority of years has been below average. This has resulted in depleted storage conditions in both Lake Powell and Lake Mead. The average runoff over the last two years (2020 and 2021) was 49% and the forecasted runoff for 2022 is 58%.
Bureau of Reclamation Commissioner Camille Touton testified before the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources in June, acknowledging that these challenges are unlike anything we’ve seen in our history. Touton stated that in addition to the actions already underway, an additional 2 to 4 million acre-feet (MAF) of conservation is needed in 2023 just to protect the critical levels in the major reservoirs, allowing for power generation and infrastructure stability.
new.azwater.gov Colorado River Shortage FAQs | August 2022 CentralArizonaProject.com
WHERE WILL THIS WATER COME FROM?
Arizona is working with the other Basin states to investigate ways the additional reductions can be shared. In 2022, Arizona is reducing Colorado River water use by approximately 800,000 acre-feet – more than a quarter of its annual apportionment. Additional reductions in Arizona alone will not be sufficient to address this unprecedented challenge.
WHY ISN’T MANDATORY CONSERVATION BEING REQUIRED FOR ARIZONA RESIDENTS?
Each Arizona water provider has a unique “water portfolio,” meaning their water comes from various sources, including the Colorado River. Each community water system is also required to develop a drought plan, which may include public education, use of alternative water supplies, voluntary conservation, conservation incentives and mandatory restrictions. Cities and towns – especially those heavily reliant on Colorado River water – have been activating their respective drought plans. These plans require varying levels of conservation at the municipal and residential level.
Mandatory conservation is already in place for many of Arizona’s municipal and industrial water users. This includes low water-use plants and landscaping, plumbing codes, restrictions on artificial/ decorative lakes and turf restrictions. Cities have been maximizing the use of their treated wastewater for decades by putting the vast majority to beneficial use – creating riparian habitats, irrigating sports fields/golf courses, providing water for power plants and recharging aquifers by storing reused water underground.
WILL ARIZONA HAVE ENOUGH WATER FOR THE CURRENT POPULATION?
Yes. Since the early 1980s, Arizona has mandated conservation and water-use reporting in the state’s most populated areas. With its requirement of a 100-year water supply for all new development and water conservation mandates for municipal, industrial and agricultural water users, Arizona’s 1980 Groundwater Management Act is known as one of the most robust water management laws in the United States.
Many cities also have diverse water supplies, which include in- state surface water, reclaimed water and groundwater. They have been planning for drought and shortage for decades, including storing trillions of gallons of water underground to be used in the future.
IS ARIZONA’S GROWTH GOING TO SLOW DUE TO THIS SITUATION?
Shortage will impact a lot of things, in Arizona and elsewhere. Central and southern Arizona cities have been complying with Arizona’s Groundwater Management Act laws, which require a 100-year assured water supply for any new development within certain designated areas. Each water provider has its own unique water portfolio or combination of water supplies. The assured water supply program takes into account the potential for shortage and available alternative supplies in evaluating water supplies for new development.
With an eye toward helping secure Arizona’s water future, Arizona’s Governor and Legislature earlier this year invested $1.2 billion over three years to fund projects that in time will bring additional water to the state, as well as more water conservation efforts.
WHAT ELSE CAN ARIZONANS DO TO CONSERVE?
While a lot has been done, there is always an opportunity for more. Residents can learn more about how to save water from their local water provider; there are also many water-saving tips at WaterUseItWisely.com.
WHERE CAN I FIND MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE SHORTAGE?
The Arizona Department of Water Resources and Central Arizona Project both have shortage information on their websites. In addition, residents can subscribe to ADWR’s blog (azwaternews.com) and to CAP’s Know Your Water News (knowyourwaternews.com) to receive the latest updates. Source:chttps://library.cap-az.com/documents/departments/planning/colorado-river-programs/2022-08-colorado-river-shortage-faq.pdf
3. Planning For A Drier Future: Arizona’s WaterSMART Basin Studies. The future of Arizona’s water resources is on a lot of people’s minds right now – especially as we face deeper levels of shortage on the Colorado River and changing supplies under hotter and drier climates. Evaluating future water supply and demand can be challenging and requires large-scale technical studies with collaboration across all sectors including municipal, industrial, agricultural, environmental and tribal.
In response to the 2009 Secure Water Act, the Bureau of Reclamation established the WaterSMART (Sustain and Manage America’s Resources for Tomorrow) program. The program serves as a framework for Reclamation to work with local stakeholders to assess the sustainability of regional water supplies within key regions of the Western United States. These assessments are referred to as “Basin Studies” and apply the best available science to evaluate potential water supply and demand imbalances under a variety of future conditions. Basin Studies serve as the basis for water resource managers to make policy decisions, develop infrastructure plans and seek additional supply.
Arizona’s Basin Studies
To date, Reclamation has awarded three Basin Studies within Arizona. These studies focus on specific watersheds within each of the state’s Active Management Area Stanfield Basin Study (Pinal AMA)
• Eloy and Maricopa-Stanfield Basin Study (Pinal AM)
• Lower Santa Cruz River Basin Study (Tucson AMA)
• West Salt River Valley Basin Study (Phoenix AMA)
Each study seeks to: 1) project future supply and demand; 2) assess the impacts of supply and demand to the regional aquifer system; and 3) develop strategies to address impacted areas. Differences in sector demands and supply availability (e.g., Colorado River water from CAP, in-state surface water, groundwater, reclaimed water, etc.) result in a unique set of future challenges for each area of study.
CAP’s support for Arizona’s Basin Studies
CAP’s support and involvement is critical to these studies. CAP has used its proprietary model, CAP Service Area Model (CAP:SAM) to generate projections of future supply and demand. CAP:SAM is a complex computer model designed to evaluate a range of future growth and climate conditions and the impacts to water resource managers.
Results from Arizona’s Basin Studies have already provided several valuable insights:
- For the West Salt River Valley and Lower Santa Cruz Basins, assumptions about the location of future growth have a large impact on total water demand and where potential groundwater drawdowns may occur due to increased groundwater pumping.
- In all future scenarios, the agricultural sector is anticipated to make up for lost supplies by pumping additional groundwater in the Eloy and Maricopa-Stanfield Basins.
- Climate change impacts water resources more significantly than population growth in the Lower Santa Cruz River Basin.
- There is no silver bullet – but there are viable adaptation and mitigation strategies at the local and basin-wide scales. When combined, these can be used to address future challenges.
Work on these studies has been ongoing since 2014 with each one at a different stage of completion. Strong, ongoing support and engagement have been critical to getting these studies across the finish line. They are a model for regional collaboration and serve as the blueprint for managing the sustainability of Arizona’s water resources today and into the future.
Interested in learning more? Visit CAP’s Regional Planning Efforts web page.
new arizona.gov
4. Why You May Not Want To Toss In A Dryer Sheet With Your Next Load Of Laundry. What Are Dryer Sheets Made Of, And How Do They Work?
Dryer sheets were reportedly first introduced in the U.S. by Procter & Gamble in 1975 under the brand name Bounce, but today you can find dryer sheets from many different brands. According to Chemical & Engineering News, most dryer sheets are typically constructed from a “nonwoven polyester material coated with a softening agent.”
Dryer sheets function in the same way that a liquid fabric softener does, reducing static, making clothes feel softer and adding fragrance. When you place a dryer sheet in with your wet clothes, the dryer melts the softening agent (animal fat), the residue to transfer to your clothes. The slippery feeling from the residue gives you the impression that the clothes are softer.
Are Dryer Sheets Bad?
Basically, whenever you use a dryer sheet, you are adding a chemical coating to your clothes, and in some instances, this can be a bad idea. For example, using dryer sheets or fabric softeners on baby or children’s clothes may cause them to become less flame-retardant.
Dryer sheets may also cause microfiber towels to become less absorbent over time and reduce the moisture-wicking properties of athletic wear. This is because the chemical coating builds up every time you tumble-dry your laundry with a dryer sheet.
CNet reports that the chemical coating also coats the inside of your dryer, which could eventually make it harder to remove lint from the lint trap. In addition, a 2011 study found that the fragrances that are often added to dryer sheets may be linked to “irritation of the eyes and airways, contact dermatitis, migraines, and asthmatic reactions.”
Lastly, there’s also the planet to think about. As a disposable single-use product, dryer sheets contribute to environmental waste and have been found to emit volatile organic compounds into the air from dryer vents. This could potentially affect both air quality and human health, although more research is needed.
Easiest way to get rid of dryer static cling, other than hanging your clothes on the clothes line, pull off some clean, aluminum foil and make a near baseball size ball. Toss the foil ball into the dryer with your wet clothes, it will keep your clothes soft and fluffy. It’s re-usable too! Source:https://www.simplemost.com/green-cleaning-products-make-buy-cheap/
Copyright: EnviroInsight.org2022
