By Staff Reporter |

Rep. Andy Biggs (AZ-05), Republican gubernatorial candidate, is leading Arizona’s congressmembers in a bipartisan petition to House leadership to include emergency funding for Colorado River Basin infrastructure. 

The Colorado River serves as a critical water supply for Arizona and the six other basin states. 36% of the state’s supply comes from the river. Put another way, the river supplies drinking water for one in 10 Americans.

Additionally, around 2.5 million individuals across the Western states rely on the river for power. 

The river has reached historically low water levels due to prolonged drought and increasing aridity. These levels haven’t been seen on the river since the late 1950s. 

The letter requested emergency funding to provide for infrastructure investments, upgrades, and long-term planning, noting that the present average flow measurements on the river amount to 20% less of what they were in the 20th century. 

Democratic Reps. Yassamin Ansari (AZ-03), Adelita Grijalva (AZ-07), and Greg Stanton (AZ-04) joined the letter alongside Republican Reps. Eli Crane (AZ-02), Abe Hamadeh (AZ-08), and Paul Gosar (AZ-09).

The letter argued that the river’s decline represented a national security threat worthy of emergency funding, citing its critical function as more than a water and energy source for individuals but also as a source for the national security industry. California and Arizona are consistently among the top 10 states for defense spending, and Colorado is in the top 20. 

“In addition to helping meet basic needs of communities out West by supplying drinking water, serving as a power source, supporting municipal services, and helping put food on the table, the Colorado River and its related parks, forests, and recreation areas also contribute over $26 billion to the outdoor recreation economy each year,” said the letter. “In addition, the River supports critical national security industries that have taken root in the West, including in the advanced manufacturing, aerospace, and defense sectors.”

The letter also documented congressional precedent for the proposed emergency funding. In 2022, Congress issued $4 billion for drought mitigation with priority given to Arizona and the other basin states. According to the congressmembers, this cash infusion did mitigate the water crisis.

By comparison, congressional funding sits currently at less than $100 million for the river. 

“We have no doubt that without this vital funding source, the water crisis today facing our communities would be much worse,” stated the letter. “Funding is urgently needed to limit the pain that could be felt by communities across the basin in the near term and may smooth the path forward for post-2026 operating agreements.”

Biggs said in a statement that bipartisanship was a need because the river represents a crisis far bigger than either party. 

“For desert dwellers, nothing is more important than protecting and cultivating our water resources,” said Biggs. “The Colorado River situation is not just an issue for Arizona and the West; it’s an issue that affects the entire country because of the national industries that depend on this water source. I hope that House leadership and appropriators will heed our request and include the necessary funding to prevent this crisis from getting worse and needlessly harming vulnerable Americans.”

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