Ex-Reclamation commissioner to head Arizona water entity amid climate change, drought

Arizona cities concerned about future water cuts

Arizona got about 36 percent of its total water supply from the river as recently as 2020. That share of river water feeding farms and cities has declined some since then, with the advent of a federally approved Drought Contingency Plan that will cut the state’s river water use by 21 percent starting in 2023.

PHOENIX (AP) - Former U.S. Bureau of Reclamation Commissioner Brenda Burman will be the next general manager of the Arizona entity that distributes much of the state’s water from the Colorado River to major metropolitan areas.

Burman will lead the Central Arizona Project at a time when the seven states in the river’s basin are being asked to cut back significantly on water use because of climate change and drought. Burman said she’s up for the challenge.

Burman serves as the executive strategy adviser for the entity. She starts her new job in January, replacing retiring general manager Ted Cooke, the Central Arizona Water Conservation District board announced Friday.

Burman led the Bureau of Reclamation from 2017 to early 2021 under the Trump administration. While there, she threatened federal intervention if states that rely on the Colorado River didn’t take action on a drought contingency plan. The plan was meant to prop up water levels at key reservoirs along the Colorado River.

Arizona, California, Nevada, Wyoming, New Mexico, Colorado and Utah ultimately reached an agreement.

The states are on the hook again for major water cuts as Lake Mead and Lake Powell continue to drop, though they’re not under a firm deadline. The Bureau of Reclamation recently released a plan that includes an option for unilateral, federal action, and is taking public comment.

In the meantime, Lake Mead on the Arizona-Nevada line, and Lake Powell on the Arizona-Utah line, each have fallen to about 25% capacity. The lower they fall, the higher the risk that power can’t be produced by their dams and water can’t be delivered to 40 million people and the agriculture industry across the U.S. West.

Mandatory water cuts already are affecting Arizona, Nevada and Mexico.

Cooke said Burman’s more than 25 years of experience in the water, energy and environmental sectors and fresh perspective will help guide the Central Arizona Project through a tough time. She’ll work closely with the director of the Arizona Department of Water Resources.

"There’s a lot to do and no time to waste," Burman said in a statement Friday. "I will be focused on navigating the path for CAP through the next few years, which I believe will set the course for the next few decades."

Continued coverage

Drought-stricken Arizona to get less Colorado River water

For the second year in a row, Arizona and Nevada will face cuts in the amount of water they can draw from the Colorado River as the West endures an extreme drought, federal officials announced on Aug. 16. FOX 10's Nicole Garcia reports.