U.S. Sen. Mark Kelly, an Arizona Democrat facing reelection, wants the
federal government to withhold money for environmental cleanup at the
Salton Sea until California agrees to use less of its share of the river.
He also faulted the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation for not being clear about
when and how it will act if the seven Western states that rely on the
river fail to significantly lower their use.

�We are out of time,� Kelly wrote Tuesday in a letter to the U.S.
Department of the Interior. �The longer the Department waits to press for
an agreement � the more difficult this crisis will be to solve, leading
only to tougher choices and litigation.�

Federal officials in June said the states must dramatically cut usage as
key reservoirs risk dropping so low they can�t produce hydropower or
supply water users. But the states blew through an August deadline without
a plan. Congress has dedicated up to $4 billion in part to pay farmers and
cities to use less water, but its impact remains unclear.

Much attention is on California, the largest holder of the river�s water
and the last to lose in times of shortage. The state�s users said recently
they would cut use up to 9% contingent on federal money and a plan to
clean up toxic dust around the Salton Sea.

The lake formed in 1905 when the river overflowed and is mainly fed by
runoff from southeast California farms. As it dries, wind kicks up
particles that worsen air quality. When the farms use less river water,
less excess flows into the sea.

California officials and the community group Alianza Coachella Valley were
surprised by Kelly�s letter. They said it�s unfair to use communities
exposed to environmental harms as a bargaining chip.

�The Colorado River system is in crisis, what we need is less finger
pointing and more actual water conserved,� Wade Crowfoot, secretary of
California�s Natural Resources Agency, said.

Kelly�s letter comes amid a tough reelection bid against Republican Blake
Masters, a contest that will help determine control of the U.S. Senate.

As farmers and cities across the West face diminishing water supplies,
anxiety about Arizona�s future water access has become a major issue
particularly in cities like Phoenix and Tucson.

Nevada, Utah, New Mexico, Wyoming and Colorado, tribes and Mexico also
hold rights to the river�s water. It helps supply drinking water to an
estimated 40 million people plus countless farms that grow vegetables and
crops for the nation.

Latest federal projections show that the dam at Lake Powell � a critical
reservoir on the Arizona-Utah border � won�t be able to produce power by
the end of next year if rain and snowfall is minimal.

Already, Arizona, Nevada and Mexico have endured mandatory supply cuts.
California eventually would be looped in to those cuts if Lake Powell and
Lake Mead continue to drop as projected.

The savings California offered in October � 400,000 acre-feet of water
annually � make up about about one-fifth of the minimum amount federal
officials say needs cutting across the basin.

Tom Buschatzke, director of the Arizona Department of Water Resources,
said Wednesday he didn�t consider California�s offer a firm commitment.
Arizona has saved some water beyond its mandated cuts since June but
hasn�t settled on how much more it would offer, he said by email.

Any federal money given to California to address the Salton Sea should be
tied to a promise by the state to keep water in Lake Mead, Buschatzke
said.

Withholding money for cleanup projects around the lake �would affect real
communities already suffering from higher rates of asthma and other health
problems,� Silvia Paz, executive director for Alianza Coachella Valley,
said in a statement.

Kelly said Wednesday it�s wrong for California to demand money for the
Salton Sea to resolve a crisis on the Colorado River.

�I�m not going to let California get away with that,� Kelly said after a
campaign stop in Phoenix. �You can�t hold the Colorado River hostage with
funding for something else. Doesn�t matter what it is. I mean, this is
water we�re talking about.�

Kelly also wants specifics about when California will be limited from
taking out water it stores in the lake.

The Interior Department declined to comment on Kelly�s letter, spokesman
Tyler Cherry said.

Masters, Kelly�s Republican rival, calls for an even more aggressive
confrontation with California, saying during a recent debate, �we can
solve this problem with technology and sharp elbows.�

�Why is California even putting its straw into the Colorado River?�
Masters said, suggesting the state instead should be removing salt from
ocean water to increase its supply.

https://ktla.com/news/nexstar-media-wire/nationworld/headlines/ap-
arizonas-kelly-hits-california-on-colorado-river-use/