Arizona Water Summit tackles state's future as Colorado River cuts loom large

For Tucson residents, the Arizona Water Summit offered both reassurance and a warning: household taps are not expected to run dry in the next few years, but the state must make difficult decisions now about how it stores, distributes and uses water. The summit, held Friday at the University of Arizona, brought state and federal officials together to discuss Arizona’s growing population, pressure on existing supplies and mandatory reductions expected from the Colorado River.

Hosted by the Southern Arizona Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, the gathering focused on a question with direct consequences for Tucson and communities across the state: Can Arizona continue adding homes, businesses, farms and industries while maintaining reliable water supplies? Speakers described water as a foundation for future growth, while acknowledging that the state is entering a period in which supplies will be more constrained and every sector will face pressure to use water more efficiently.

Tom Buschatzke, director of the Arizona Department of Water Resources, said mandatory reductions in Colorado River supplies are unavoidable. He said Arizona is facing cuts totaling 760,000 acre feet annually. An acre foot is a standard water measurement often used in planning and policy, representing enough water to cover an acre of land with one foot of water. The scale of the expected reduction has raised concerns about what it could mean for communities, agriculture and industry that rely on the river.

Buschatzke said the reductions will not translate into an immediate threat to residential water service. He told attendees that there is no point in the next few years when Arizonans should expect their household taps to go dry. Still, some users are already preparing for reduced deliveries. Buschatzke said certain Central Arizona Project users are facing a reduction of roughly 14 percent, putting additional attention on how Arizona will distribute available supplies and protect water users who are most vulnerable to cuts.

The state has also been using stored water to soften the effect of reductions. Buschatzke said the Arizona Water Banking Authority has adopted a policy to fully backfill the water orders of users affected by cuts in 2027. The authority stores water underground for future needs, but its credits are not unlimited. Buschatzke, who chairs the authority, said a decision has not yet been made about how much assistance will be provided in 2028. Officials will have to weigh immediate support against the need to preserve stored water for later emergencies and shortages.

That debate reflects a larger challenge for Tucson and other Arizona communities. Water planning is not only about whether supplies exist, but also about which uses receive priority as conditions change. U.S. Sen. Ruben Gallego said Arizona needs major federal investment to improve aging water infrastructure, particularly in smaller towns and rural counties. He pointed to measures such as covering canals and installing liners, which could reduce the amount of water lost before it reaches users.

Gallego also raised questions about water intensive crops, including almonds and alfalfa, and whether Arizona will need to reconsider what it chooses to grow as supplies become tighter. Buschatzke said Arizona has resources and safeguards in place, while cities, farmers and industries have taken steps to reduce their water use. The summit’s discussion made clear, however, that conservation efforts will need to continue alongside decisions about economic development and land use.

Officials also emphasized that the Colorado River is only one part of Arizona’s water picture. U.S. Rep. Adelita Grijalva said the state must protect potable water and groundwater, while also expanding the reuse of treated wastewater. She argued that Arizona needs safeguards and systems covering all of its water sources, not only the Central Arizona Project, which delivers Colorado River water to much of central and southern Arizona. The goal, she said, is to make each drop serve more than one purpose, an approach with particular relevance in a desert region such as Southern Arizona.

Other possibilities discussed at the summit included reclaimed water and desalination. Those options are part of a longer term effort to diversify Arizona’s supplies, rather than depending too heavily on the Colorado River. For Tucson residents, the message was not that the immediate water outlook is crisis free, but that the most visible effects of future cuts may appear first through changes in planning, infrastructure investment, agricultural choices and water policy rather than an abrupt loss of service at home.

State leaders said the decisions made in the coming years will shape whether Arizona can accommodate continued growth without exhausting its reserves. The 2027 backfilling policy provides some near term protection for affected users, but the unresolved question of support beyond that year shows why stored water cannot be treated as an unlimited solution. As officials continue discussions about the Colorado River, groundwater, wastewater and new infrastructure, Tucson and the rest of Arizona will be watching how those plans translate into dependable supplies for households, employers and communities.