Arizona’s top water negotiator is working behind the scenes to avoid “extremely draconian” cuts to the state’s share of the Colorado River. It’s an eleventh-hour effort to work with the federal government, which is expected to release new rules for managing water in late July. Tom Buschatzke, director of the Arizona Department of Water Resources, briefed the public on the process of negotiations and the state’s plans to adapt to water cutbacks. … The three states that make up the river’s Lower Basin — Arizona, California and Nevada, countered with a proposal to voluntarily cut back on water use and avoid harsher, mandatory cuts from the federal government. Now, Buschatzke is trying to convince the federal government to adopt it.

Other Colorado River management news:

• KPCW (Park City, Utah): Western governors talk Colorado River future amid widespread drought
• KJZZ (Phoenix): ‘A little bit of water can go a long way in the Colorado River Delta,’ new report finds
• KJZZ (Phoenix): Operationally neutral conservation pools could help alleviate stress on Lake Mead and Lake Powell
• Arizona Capitol Times (Phoenix): Arizona bets on Lower Basin cuts to avoid ‘draconian’ Colorado River plan
• Los Angeles Times: Newsletter: Californians, pay attention: The Colorado River is drying up at its headwaters