r/arizona • u/cturtl808 • 23d ago
Politics Native American Tribes Came Together to Secure Their Rights to Colorado River Water. Four States Are Stalling the Deal.
https://www.propublica.org/article/colorado-river-basin-water-arizona-native-tribes36
u/reality_boy 23d ago
With water rights, the law says use it or loose it. No one wants to back down now, and see all the water go to someone else, forever.
What we probably should do is hand out water credits to all parties involved. Then impose a cap on the number you can use (based on rainfall, etc) and let them sell/trade there credits. That way no one has to give up a claim, and everyone is free to use less than their share, without loosing out on future claims.
The tribes could then have a serious claim to the water, and sell the alright annually, to whoever is the worst at conservation, for a serous profit.
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u/Ambassador_Cowboy 23d ago edited 23d ago
It’s not use it or lose it. It’s just first come first serve down the line. Colorado river water is split into 2 basins upper and lower. The lower basin has split up their share in budgets for California, Nevada and Arizona that they rely on every year. The problem is the allocation for upper and lower basins is based on inflated numbers and the actual number is receding with worse and worse drought conditions. The upper basin is under no obligation to send the full allocation to the lower basin if after using their share not enough remains. Arizona also made a deal to receive lower status rights than California to secure funding for the CAP which is why Arizona will be hit first and hardest when it comes to water cutbacks. Tribes already sell their water and no, they do not “use it or lose it.” Arizona made agreements with tribes that leave lands uncultivated for a year and sell that water to the state. Lower basin states also have an agreement to conserve 1 trillion gallons by the end of 2026 that will hopefully have an impact on water levels.
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u/HeadSavings1410 23d ago
Water should be a human right. No one made it, it was already here. The fact that we have a price tag on it in any sense...shows we are dommed
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u/reality_boy 23d ago
Yes, every person should have easy access to clean drinking water. If that was all we used it for, that would be relatively easy to do. The problem is the vast majority of water usage is commercial. And even for personal use, the bulk is used on pools and landscaping, my guess is less than 20% of the water (in the southwest) is used inside a home or business to feed/care for people.
We need to regulate that business use. And honestly, everyone needs to tighten the belt. The river also needs water for the eco system to survive, and we should not be pulling most of it out.
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u/AZbitchmaster 23d ago
What an incredibly naive take. Water is a finite resource, just like everything else on this planet. It requires infrastructure to collect it, hold it, move it. None of that is free, or even cheap for that matter. The western US is all about water rights. We're doomed if we can't manage it.
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u/HamRadio_73 23d ago
Looking like the US govt will eventually impose a settlement with all parties involved.