Wednesday October 26, 2022
KPIX News 12 —
Arizona Senator Mark Kelly is calling on federal officials to halt funding for California’s Salton Sea project until the state gives up more of its Colorado River Water, a letter from the senator said Tuesday.
The letter, sent to the U.S. Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland, said that the Department of the Interior needs to step in to secure the river’s water and ensure that the 40 million people who rely on its waters don’t go thirsty.
“We are out of time,” Kelly said in his letter. “The longer the Department waits to press for an agreement in the Lower Basin, the more difficult this crisis will be to solve, leading only to tougher choices and litigation.”
California, the largest user of Colorado River water, has been under fire from many other states that rely on the river for saying California would try and conserve 9% of its water allocation. In contrast, Arizona will give up 20% of its allocation starting in January.