Life Coach in Flowing Well, AZ

Western states depend on the Colorado River for water. They're up against a reality that’s been a long time coming:

"It’s not like the river changed overnight. The river has been changing over the last 20 years at least," Jennifer Pitt says.

"But we were buffered from the impacts of the change on water in the water supply by draining reservoirs."

States have been drawing down so much water, that reservoirs are approaching the point where it may be impossible to pull more out of them. It's a scenario called deadpool.

Recently, six Western states did come up with a proposal for how to cut water. But one state wouldn't sign on: California.

Today, On Point: We're going to talk about why, and what's at stake.

Guests

Jennifer Pitt, Colorado River program director for the Audubon Society. (@JnPitt)

Bart Fisher, president of the Palo Verde Irrigation District Board of Trustee. Member of the State of California’s Colorado River Board. He farms 12,000 acres in Southern California, right on the Colorado River and near the Arizona border.

Kathryn Sorensen, director of research and professor of practice at Arizona State University. Formerly director of Phoenix Water Services as well as Director of the City of Mesa Water Resources Department.

Interview Highlights

Would you describe the Colorado River situation as a crisis?

Jennifer Pitt: “I would. The reservoirs are actually physical engineered structures that have particular ways in which they need to function. If the water in the reservoir gets too low, it could possibly drop below the intake tubes for hydropower and temporarily cause a situation where no water could fall out below the dam. That could be a crisis in the case of Lake Powell for the Grand Canyon. Can you imagine the Grand Canyon with no Colorado River flowing through it?

“It would be a crisis in the case of Lake Mead, or the tens of millions of people who rely on the water supply that flows down the Colorado River below Lake Mead in Arizona, in California, and not to mention in Mexico as well. Some of those places have some alternative water supplies. For instance, in the L.A. area, they also use water from the Sierra Nevada. But it would be effectively half their water supply that is threatened. And then there are other locations in Arizona and in Mexico where there is no alternative water supply. So those places are really looking at a crisis.”

The federal government asked the seven Colorado River Basin states for a plan to cut water. All came to an agreement – except California. What did the six states, besides California, agree to do?

Jennifer Pitt: “The six states agreed to reduce water uses, principally in the lower basin. There's some modest commitment from the upper basin states. And that's as it should be, they're using far less water than the lower basin states. So they all agreed on a way to reduce uses that effectively had every state, particularly in the lower basin, taking what you might call an equitable or a proportional share of the reductions.

“So the water users of Arizona would be told, 'You're going to have access to about 30% less water.' And within the state, they would use their existing laws, additional agreements between water users to try to ensure that the impact of that reduction is mitigated as much as possible. Equitably distributed, ensures cities remain viable and probably compensates agricultural water users to the degree they are losing their water supply. It would do the same thing for California.

"Really the difference between the six-state proposal and the California proposal is in California's assertion of its senior priority on the Colorado River. In the California proposal, which has also been handed to the federal government, there's a different distribution of shortages."

What happens in Arizona if California’s proposal is selected instead?

Kathryn Sorensen: “If we follow California's interpretation strictly, the law of the river as it is today, then the Colorado River water that is delivered through the Central Arizona Project canal into the cities of Phoenix and Tucson and all the area between them is cut first.

“I will say Arizona is very blessed to have very large and productive groundwater resources. We have very plentiful aquifers. However, the water in those aquifers is what we call fossil water. That means it's really old. It's been laid down over the eons as local rivers have flowed through central Arizona. It is not annually renewed at any significant rate. So it's like the Ogallala Aquifer in the central United States. To the degree we pump a lot of that water out and don't replenish it, then that water is lost forever and forecloses on opportunities for future generations to use that water.

“So while we have this groundwater to fall back on in the case of severe shortages in central Arizona, we also need to be careful of that groundwater use so that we're protective of future generations as well.”

On water use in California agriculture

Bart Fisher: “Our water usage here changes as our cropping patterns change. Farmers not only farm as a lifestyle, we operate businesses. For example, 20 or 30 years ago, there was a lot more cotton produced in our valley. I'd say in particular, over the last 20 years, we have increased the percentage of production devoted to alfalfa and other forage crops.

“Our irrigation district here has a diversion dam that is the only structure in the lower Colorado River basin that is not owned and operated by the Bureau of Reclamation. And we use an average of about five acre feet per acre of consumptively used water. We divert a lot more than that, but because we are immediately adjacent to the river, we are able to gather our drainage water and return it to the main stream of the river for use downstream by folks such as the Yuma area farmers, the Imperial Irrigation District and Coachella Valley Water District in California, as well as the country of Mexico.”

BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KGET) – More than 30 million people in 22 states are under winter weather alerts as much of the nation braces for a mix of heavy snow, rain and wind.

The National Weather Service says Southern California, in particular, will experience “the coldest storm of the season, and possibly of the last several years.”

That means, among other things, travel across the Grapevine between Bakersfield and Los Angeles will be treacherous, if not at times impossible.

Tuesday evening the sky was blue and traffic is flowing well, but a major storm is coming in and it could stick around for several days.

What happens if you have to make an unavoidable trip to LA and get stuck coming or going?

It means one, pack 24 hours worth of supplies. Two, don’t rush. Speed is dangerous under the best of conditions, but when snow, ice and wind are present, the slightest distraction or overcorrection can be fatal.

For that reason, the California Highway Patrol will very likely be escorting vehicles over the Tejon Pass and across sections of Interstate 5 affected by the conditions.

CHP Officer DC Williams said drivers should be patient.

“If you see CHP running traffic breaks where we’ve got the rear amber lights on, going back and forth, don’t pass,” he said. “Just stay behind, following traffic, and whatever they direct you to do, follow that.”

But if black ice buildup makes even a CHP escort untenable, be prepared for a complete shutdown. Worst-case scenario, you could end up spending the night on the freeway in your car.

That happened just a couple of years ago in Japan, where some motorists spent 20 hours at a standstill.

How does one prepare for that?

We asked a long-haul trucker, en route from Washington state to Arizona for advice.

“Don’t travel if you don’t have to, right?,” said Pat O’Brien, an owner-operator from Oregon. “And then bring a blanket, something to keep you warm, or your coat in case you’re low on fuel. Always fill your tank up. So you have fuel if you have to idle to stay warm.”

That’s right: With temperatures expected to drop below freezing, stranded motorists will need to periodically start their vehicles in order to use their heaters.

Bring what some refer to as a go bag – extra warm clothes, food, water, batteries, a flashlight – whatever might help you pass the time safely and as comfortably as possible.

Yes, you may be able to reach a hotel safely, but know that others will have the same idea.

“There’s a couple hotels (in the Lebec area) that will fill up kinda quick if we end up shutting things down,” he said.

Shutting things down entirely is a last resort, however. If at all possible, the CHP will try to get traffic over the summit.

“If you have to travel, give yourself plenty of time,” Williams said. “That way you don’t feel like you have to rush, you don’t have to speed.”

Some 1,300 people die every year — and nearly 120,000 are injured — because of crashes on snowy, slushy, or icy roads, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation.

Every year, it seems, drivers somewhere are stranded.

In January 2022, for example, thousands of motorists in Virginia were stuck in snow on I-95 for 24 hours. Don’t think it can’t happen here.

It really just comes down to logic. Bring water, bring food, bring blankets and prepare for the worst and if you can avoid making the trip at all, that’s the best strategy of all.

All Elite Wrestling is staging its long-awaited Phoenix debut on Wednesday night, February 22, something that’s been years in the making.

The upstart pro wrestling promotion, which launched in 2019 as an alternative to the WWE, will broadcast its flagship television program, AEW Dynamite, live on TBS from Footprint Center. A second show, AEW Rampage, will be taped afterward and shown on Friday night on TNT.

Professional wrestling is a big thing in Arizona, and local AEW fans have been clamoring for the Florida-based company to bring its events to Phoenix since its launch. After years of mainly running events back east or in the midwest, AEW has begun visiting west coast cities within the last few months.

What took so long? AEW president and co-owner Tony Khan tells Phoenix New Times it wasn’t from a lack of desire.

“There are a lot of AEW fans in Phoenix and around the area who watch [our] shows on TBS and TNT that are connected with our company and follow the wrestlers,” Kahn says. “It's one of the best markets in the US and the way we're being embraced has been great. And it's been fun to come to new cities like Phoenix where we've never been before.”

AEW’s visit to the Valley on Wednesday night will help build to the company’s upcoming pay-per-view, AEW Revolution, on March 5. Matches scheduled to take place during AEW Dynamite will include Jon Moxley taking on Evil Uno, Wheeler Yuta battling the sunglasses-wearing slacker Orange Cassidy, and a massive tag-team battle royal. Current Maxwell Jacob Freeman (a.k.a MJF), AEW’s current World Champion and biggest villain, will also make an appearance.

Kahn will also reportedly make “an important announcement” during Dynamite on Wednesday about something big regarding AEW. New Times asked him about what he has planned during our interview, as well as when the company will be returning to the Valley.

What took AEW so long to come to Phoenix?We’ve wanted to come to Phoenix for years. It's a great town for pro wrestling. It was actually in our plans a long time ago and then we got hit with the global [COVID-19] lockdown. We kept our shows going, but had to do them out of Florida for almost a year and a half. Phoenix was the first city we circled on a lot of our west coast tour dates in 2020, got pushed back by the lockdown, and we didn't resume touring until July 2021, and [by] then, a lot of our dates were taken. So we really were very eager to get a date in Phoenix, and we wanted to come to the Footprint Center because it's one of the best venues in sports. It's going to look great on TV. And we've got a great crowd coming to the show, we're expecting tremendous attendance, so it should be a great show. [It] definitely been one of our most anticipated events.

Over the last year, AEW has expanded to more West Coast cities, like Seattle and Portland.Yeah, absolutely. We started doing more live West Coast events. Again, like I was saying before, we had planned to do a number of these West Xoast cities in 2020, and our touring schedule got pushed back, and everyone was trying to get the same dates when we went back on the road. It was very important to us to make a great debut in Phoenix for AEW. I think it's a certainty that we'll be returning after this because the interest in the debut has been tremendous.

AEW largely visited East Coast and Midwest cities since its launch. Was there a danger of diminishing returns from running the same cities too many times?Well, to your point ... we have a lot of cities where we'd run events [since] the launch of AEW and with the hauling [of the ring setup and other gear], there can be a high cost to running events back-to-back that are far apart in terms of geographic proximity. So it's been really great having more west coast events, including some of the markets [where] we've debuted this year, like Seattle, Portland, and San Francisco coming up [for AEW Revolution] on March 5, and, of course, Phoenix, this week for Dynamite and Rampage.

So what's the big announcement you're making on Wednesday night in Phoenix?Hah. Well, I can't tell you right now, but it's something I'm very excited about and it's great for the company.

Is it going to be about AEW doing another Forbidden Door pay-per-view with New Japan Pro Wrestling? There are a lot of exciting things in the near future for AEW. All I can say is we have an important announcement coming at this show in Phoenix. And it's an exciting development for the company, and I'm excited to share it with the fans in Phoenix and all over the world.

Will MJF be at Wednesday's show?Yes. He's contractually obligated to appear in Phoenix, whether he likes it or not.

He always insults every town AEW appears in. Any idea of how he’s going to put Phoenix on blast?I'm not sure what insults he has prepared for the people of Arizona, but he always finds a way to drive people crazy. He’s one of wrestling’s biggest villains. I'm sure everyone in Phoenix is going to have an opportunity to find out why.

You've been a lifelong fan of wrestling. What's the appeal and how does AEW tap into that?I've always enjoyed the matches and stories and the way they just flow together into one show. It’s always fun to watch. And what's amazing to me is how the internet and social media connected wrestling fans into one community. They call themselves the IWC, or [the] Internet wrestling community. And I really was an early adopter of the IWC in the early '90s. I think it's amazing how it's grown and how many wrestling fans [worldwide] are connected to each other now and can talk about what they like and don't like about wrestling. And there's a lot of fans who like AEW.

Speaking of the IWC, do you ever check out the wrestling sections on Reddit, like Squared Circle?I've seen different groups, yeah. I'm not on the message boards and on Reddit as much as I used to be before I had so much full-time work, but I still do follow along with wrestling on social media.

What did you think of that recent Bloomberg Businessweek feature with you on the cover? A lot of people have lampooned it online.Hah. That was great exposure for AEW and it was [a] great opportunity. Seeing the finished product, it was very positive coverage for the company and everyone who works here.

Any chance Phoenix will get an AEW pay-per-view event in the future?Well, it's a great question. I don't know. I can't say for certain what's in the future, but I think based on the great support for our TV in Phoenix, there's certainly now [the possibility] we could run bigger events in Phoenix. Right now, the way tickets are moving, it's certainly possible that we'd consider bringing some of our biggest events in the future to Phoenix.

AEW Dynamite and AEW Rampage will take place at 5 p.m. on Wednesday, February 22, at Footprint Center, 201 East Jefferson Street. Tickets start at $29.

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The 16-team playoff brackets for boys and girls high school soccer in the 4A-6A conferences were released Friday by the Arizona Interscholastic Association. Here are the first-round matchups and each team’s playoff seed. All boys’ first-round games are played Tuesday at 6 p.m., while girls’ first-round games are 6 p.m. Wednesday. All games are played at the higher-seed’s school:

6A Conference

Boys:

No 16 Mountain Ridge at No. 1 Tucson; No. 15 North at No. 2 San Luis; No. 14 Liberty at No 3 Brophy; No. 13 Carl Hayden at No. Sunnyside; No. 12 Camelback at No. 5 Perry; No. 11 Cibola at No. 6 Hamilton; No. 10 Desert Vista at No. 7 Pinnacle; No. 9 Mesa at No. 8 Highland.

Girls:

No. 16 Corona Del Sol at No. 1 Xavier Prep; No. 15 Shadow Ridge at No. 2 Boulder Creek; No. 14 Gila Ridge at No. 3 Perry; No. 13 Liberty at No. 4 Tucson; No. 12 Red Mountain at No. 5 Hamilton; No. 11 Maricopa at No. 4 Pinnacle; No. 10 Queen Creek at No. 3 Highland; No. 9 Sandra Day O’Connor at No. 8 Desert Vista.

5A Conference

Boys

No. 16 Mountain View Marana at No. 1 Ironwood; No. 15 Sierra Linda at No. 2 Verrado; No. 14 Metro Tech at No. 3 Horizon; No. 13 Desert View at No. 4 Campo Verde; No. 12 Kofa at No. 5 Lake Havasu; No. 11 Centennial at No. 6 Catalina Foothills; No. 10 Sunrise Mountain at No. 7 Casteel; No. 9 Chaparral at No. 8 Desert Mountain.

Girls

No. 16 Higley at No. 1 Notre Dame; No. 15 Youngker at No. 2 Chaparral; No. 14 Desert Edge at No. 3 Millennium; No. 13 Desert Mountain at No. 4 Casteel; No. 12 Cienega at No. 5 Cactus Shadows; No. 11 Centennial at No. 6 Catalina Foothills; No. 10 Horizon at No. 7 Campo Verde; No. 9 Sunrise Mountain at No. 8 Canyon View.

4A Conference

Boys

No. 16 Thunderbird at No. 1 Salpointe Catholic; No. 15 Tempe at No. 2 Saguaro; No. 14 Amphitheater at No. 3 Barry Goldwater; No. 13 Mica Mountain at No. 4 AZ College Prep; No. 12 Dysart at No. 5 Moon Valley; No. 11 Deer Valley at No. 6 Bradshaw Mountain; No. 10 Douglas at No. 7 Walden Grove; No. 9 Flowing Wells at No. 8 ALA Gilbert North.

Girls

No. 16 Mesquite at No. 1 Walden Grove; No. 15 ALA Gilbert North at No. 2 Salpointe Catholic; No. 14 Paradise Honors at No. 3 Lee Williams; No. 13 Eastmark at No. 4 Flagstaff; No. 12 Arcadia at No. 5 Sahuarita; No. 11 AZ College Prep at No. 6 Mohave; No. 10 Saguaro at No. 7 Canyon Del Oro; No. 9 Estrella Foothills at No. 8 Prescott.

3A Conference

The 3A conference soccer tournament will enter the quarterfinal round for both boys and girls on Saturday. Here are the matches. All games begin at 2 p.m. at the higher seed unless otherwise noted.

Boys:

No. 9 Thatcher at No. 1 Odyssey Institute; No. 10 NFL YET at No. 2 Phoenix Country Day; No. 6 Pusch Ridge at No. 3 Gilbert Christian; No. 5 Northwest Christian at No. 4 ALA Ironwood.

Girls

No. 8 Phoenix Country Day at No. 1 Benjamin Franklin; No. 7 Gilbert Classical at No. 2 Safford; No. 6 Sabino at No. 3 Gilbert Chirstian (noon start); No. 5 Veritas Prep at No. 4 Glendale Prep.

Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport braced for masses of football and golf fans on Monday, Feb. 13, as both Super Bowl 57 and the WM Phoenix Open golf tournament in Scottsdale came to a close.

A Monday morning visit to Sky Harbor showed operations flowing smoothly despite the mad rush of people, which at one point caused a security line to snake past the Johnston & Murphy store on the concourse in Terminal 4.

Sky Harbor anticipated about 180,000 passengers on Monday, about 60,000 more than an average day and about 5,000 more than the day after the 2015 Super Bowl, the most recently held in Arizona before this year. Airport staff said they were prepared to handle the crowds, citing new amenities like the PHX Sky Train's extension to the Rental Car Center.

Here's what the Phoenix airport looked like on the Monday morning after Super Bowl 57.

Roads to the Phoenix airport terminals were clogged

All lanes of traffic on Sky Harbor Boulevard leading to Terminals 3 and 4 slowed to a crawl on Monday morning.

The congestion was primarily long lines of cars waiting to drop passengers off. Drivers heading into the terminal garages had an easy time finding parking spots once out of the flow of traffic.

Drivers who are dropping passengers off are encouraged to avoid this logjam by taking them to the PHX Sky Train stations at 44th and Washington streets or 24th Street instead. Passengers who are dropped off at either station can ride the free Sky Train to their terminal.

Here's how to ride the Sky Train to the terminals.

Long lines for general TSA screening

In Terminal 4, the TSA security checkpoints A and C were open for regular screening on Monday. The B and D checkpoints were for TSA PreCheck passengers.

The PreCheck lines had little wait. The regular checkpoints had long waits at times — around 8:45 a.m., the line stretched past the concourse storefronts as far as Johnston & Murphy — but by 10 a.m. the lines appeared to ease.

Phoenix airport lost and found:Here's what to do if you lose something

Phoenix airport beefed up staffing for Super Bowl Monday

Sky Harbor staff worked with airlines, the Transportation Security Administration, the Arizona Super Bowl Host Committee, law enforcement and others to prepare for the postgame rush. They added more customer service staff and TSA screeners, as well as Navigator volunteers to answer travelers' questions about the airport.

American Airlines, which added more than 100 flights between Phoenix and 23 cities including Kansas City and Philadelphia in anticipation of the Super Bowl and WM Phoenix Open, had agents at its ticketing counters to handle the lines of flyers waiting to check bags and print boarding passes. The airline also had attendants in red shirts guiding passengers to check-in areas.

Phoenix Open golfer Max Homa praised Sky Harbor on Monday

Max Homa, a professional golfer who was in Scottsdale for the Phoenix Open, was among those who praised Sky Harbor's preparations.

"Wow. Shoutout Phoenix sky harbor airport. Absolute clinic. They were prepared, had a great game plan, and executed. My punishment for doubting u guys is I’m now here at my gate far too early. A great problem to have because now I am in an elite place to people watch," he tweeted.

Flyers liked the early bag-check service

Passengers also appreciated the early bag check service that was offered on Feb. 12 and 13 for those flying American, Southwest, Delta and United Airlines.

Emanuel Dace, a Kansas City Chiefs fan who rooted for the Super Bowl champions from a seat at State Farm Stadium, checked his luggage at the Rental Car Center after dropping off his car. His experience at the airport was overall positive, he said, but the early bag check stood out.

"They did an excellent job preparing for this, how when you return the rental car you could check in a bag. Good thinking," Dace said.

Early bag check will remain available through 6 p.m. Monday at the Rental Car Center.