… Arizona Department of Water Resources Director Tom Buschatzke said at a recent roundtable that under the Trump administration, the state could be better positioned than it was under the Biden administration. … Under the Biden administration, the Lower Basin states sent a proposal to the federal government offering to take 1.5 million acre-feet of water cuts per year. Arizona would cut the most, at 750,000 acre-feet. The Biden government rejected the Lower Basin’s proposal and issued an “alternative report” on Jan. 17, almost the last day of the administration. … Arizona Senate President Warren Petersen went on to say he also wants the federal government to tie in expensive infrastructure projects to the negotiations, and not just river-related infrastructure, but maybe even a desalination plant in California. Petersen said if Arizona were to help pay for that, then Arizona could take some of California’s Colorado River allocation.

Other Colorado River Basin news:

• The Colorado Sun (Denver): Meet the controversial activist (Gary Wockner) who has shaken Colorado’s water world and made 2025 a banner year for its rivers
• Live Science: Groundwater in the Colorado River basin won’t run out — but eventually we won’t be able to get at it, scientists warn​
• CBS Colorado: Northern Colorado water district to tap aquifer 800 feet underground, securing drinking water for expected growth