Scottsdale Mayor Lisa Borowsky is responding to the U.S. Department of the Interior’s release of new Colorado River operating guidelines for 2027 and 2028. “While Scottsdale has legitimate concerns about the long-term health of the Colorado River system, our city remains well-positioned to meet the needs of our residents and businesses,” Mayor Borowsky said. “Scottsdale has invested for decades in … Read More
Guest Editorial: Steady Water Management, Not Campaign Rhetoric
By Councilwoman Kathy Littlefield Scottsdale residents deserve the real facts about our water future, not cherry-picked claims timed for an election. Councilwoman Solange Whitehead’s recent opinion piece attempts to cast doubt on the city’s water security to promote her preferred council candidate. The facts reveal a different picture. Scottsdale Water has planned for a possible drought for decades, carefully managing … Read More
Featured Editorial: Critical Moment for Scottsdale’s Water Security
By Raoul Zubia Water is not an abstract policy debate in the Sonoran Desert. It is the fundamental condition for our life, our economy, and our future. As the federal government releases its framework for the Colorado River, we face a critical moment. Arizona has stepped up, conserving over 5.5 million acre-feet of water since 2014 and demonstrating that lower … Read More
Guest Editorial: Photo Ops Won’t Secure Scottsdale’s Water Future
By Councilwoman Solange Whitehead This week, a Council majority is staging a photo opportunity at Scottsdale’s Water Campus to reassure residents that Scottsdale’s water future is secure. It isn’t. The backdrop may be our award-winning Water Campus, but the reality is different. The experts who built Scottsdale’s nationally recognized water utility are gone. Funding for critical water projects has been … Read More
The Colorado River Is Running Out of Time. So Is Scottsdale.
By Ronald Sampson The seven states that share the Colorado River have now blown through two consecutive deadlines to renegotiate water-sharing rules. They missed November 2025. They missed February 2026. With the existing federal guidelines expiring this fall, the U.S. Department of the Interior is increasingly likely to impose its own interim framework on the basin, whether the states agree … Read More
Do They Know We Have an Impending Water Crisis?
By Alexander Lomax The Numbers Are Not Subtle Scottsdale gets roughly 70 to 75 percent of its tap water from the Colorado River via the Central Arizona Project canal. The current agreement governing CAP allocations expires at the end of 2026. Negotiations among the seven Colorado River Basin states have stalled. The federal government may impose cuts when that agreement … Read More
Guest Editorial: Preparing for what we can’t predict
By Thyra Ryden-Diaz, PE, MPA Interim Senior Director – Scottsdale Water Good water management is not about predicting the future. It is about preparing for it. The future of water in the Southwest will be influenced by many factors. Some are within our control. Others are not. Scottsdale cannot determine how much snow falls in the Rocky Mountains. We cannot … Read More
Op-Ed: Let’s Talk Honestly About Scottsdale’s Water Future
By Thyra Ryden-Diaz, Scottsdale Water Interim Senior Director If you follow water news in the Southwest, you’ve likely noticed a shift in tone in recent months. While the headlines remain serious, the conversation is becoming more balanced. Alongside concerns about drought and Colorado River reductions, there is growing recognition of the planning, investments, and regional cooperation helping stabilize the system. … Read More
The Consequences For Scottsdale Could Be Even Worse…
The following is an op-ed from Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego and Mesa Mayor Mark Freeman which originally ran in the Arizona Republic Few issues unite Arizonans more than water security. Throughout the desert, we understand that water is life and take pride in our culture of conservation. The careful stewardship of our water has guided our state and our cities, … Read More
Lake Powell and the Dam That May Not Hold: A Crisis Decades in the Making
The Colorado River has been in trouble for a long time. But a new wave of reporting suggests the situation may be moving from chronic to acute, with Lake Powell potentially reaching “deadpool” status before the end of 2026. For the 40 million people across seven states who depend on the river, this is no longer a distant warning…it is … Read More
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