Rep. Greg Stanton weighs in on plans to cut Arizona’s water supply

PHOENIX (3TV/CBS 5) - Arizona’s water supply hangs in the balance. If neighboring states and tribes can’t reach a deal to conserve Colorado River water, the federal government is preparing to enforce tough water cuts.

The White House announced competing plans this week to stabilize the river that’s been depleted by a decades-long drought. One of the options would cut access to the river evenly among states that border it, including Arizona. The alternative would recognize California’s strong legal rights to the river and leave Arizona and other states to bear the brunt of water reductions.

Rep. Greg Stanton, a Democrat from Arizona, said he’s pushing the latter option but doesn’t know what the Biden administration will do. “They have not provided assurances at this time that they’re going in one direction or the other,” Stanton said Friday.

Should President Biden side with California, Stanton warned that Arizona’s economy would take a beating. The situation puts the Democratic President in a tough political spot. With a presidential election year approaching, does Biden pick deep blue California over Arizona’s vital electoral swing state?

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