Faced with reduced levels in Colorado River reservoirs, Governor Doug Ducey said Tuesday that securing the state’s water future is its most pressing issue. Ducey and top lawmakers from both parties appeared together in the governor’s office to offer bipartisan support for reaching a deal and winning legislative approval by the end of the month. A federal agency has set a January 31-st deadline for Arizona to adopt a water conservation plan or see the agency impose its own restrictions. Ducey said industrial and agricultural water users would bear the brunt of a reduced water supply, with average residents likely not seeing an impact. Following years of drought, water managers fear that the surface of Lake Mead will fall below the spillways where water can be released for use by Arizona, other states and Mexico, triggering severe shortages.
