The Arizona Reconsultation Committee (ARC) reconvened on Monday, April 17 to provide an overview of the Bureau of Reclamation’s recently released draft Supplement Environmental Impact Statement (SEIS), as well as an update on current Colorado River hydrology and Basin states negotiations.

For background on the SEIS, you can find the ADWR/CAP joint statement here and an “explainer” here. The ARC meeting included a presentation regarding potential impacts of the various proposed alternatives to CAP water users.

Here are links to the ARC presentation and video.

The 2007 Interim Guidelines for the coordinated operation of Lakes Powell and Mead are set to expire at the end of 2026. The formal reconsultation process is expected to begin in 2023. The Colorado River Basin states will play a leading role in developing these new guidelines. The Arizona Department of Water Resources and Central Arizona Project convened the ARC to provide input on Arizona’s participation and path forward in this process.