- Rep. Paul Gosar invited Interior Secretary Doug Burgum to Arizona.
- The invitation focuses on proposed Colorado River water reductions.
- Arizona faces a planned reduction of 760,000 acre-feet over two years.
- Gosar said water cuts have real impacts on communities, farms, tribes, and businesses.
- The congressman called for what he described as a fairer approach to sharing conservation burdens.
Tuesday, October 27, 2026 — Arizona Congressman Paul Gosar has invited U.S. Interior Secretary Doug Burgum to visit Arizona and take part in a flyover tour of the Colorado River system, arguing that the impacts of proposed federal water reductions are best understood by seeing conditions on the ground firsthand.
The October 23, 2026 invitation followed comments Burgum made during an interview with KOLD News 13, where he described Arizona’s anticipated water reductions as “completely manageable.”
In a letter dated October 23, 2026
, Gosar disagreed with that assessment.
“Respectfully, what may look manageable in a Washington briefing room looks very different on the ground in Arizona,” Gosar said in a news release issued the same day.
According to Gosar, Arizona is facing a reduction of 760,000 acre-feet of Colorado River water over the next two years, which he said is about one-quarter of the state’s allocation. The congressman noted that California faces a reduction of 440,000 acre-feet, Nevada faces a reduction of 50,000 acre-feet, and the four Upper Basin states are not subject to mandatory reductions under the current framework.
Concerns About Communities and the Economy.
In both his public statement and letter, Gosar argued that Arizona has already invested heavily in conservation efforts and water infrastructure.
He wrote that Arizona cities, tribes, agricultural producers, water providers, and businesses have invested in conservation, storage, and infrastructure to make the most of available supplies.
The congressman said water decisions affect a wide range of interests across the state.
“Water is life for Arizonans,” Gosar said. “It sustains our families, farms, communities, mines, military installations, and industries essential to our economic and national security.”
In his letter, he added that significant reductions could increase pressure on local water supplies, raise infrastructure costs, and force difficult decisions affecting community growth and economic activity.
Tribal Water Rights Highlighted.
Gosar also emphasized the importance of including Arizona Tribal Nations in discussions about the future of the Colorado River.
“Tribal Nations are sovereign nations with water rights, communities, and futures at stake,” Gosar said in the news release. “Their concerns must be meaningfully addressed, not overlooked or treated as an afterthought in decisions that will affect generations to come.”
His letter similarly stated that tribes should have their concerns addressed as negotiations continue over the river’s future.
Invitation Focuses on Long-Term Solutions.
The proposed flyover would take Burgum over portions of the Colorado River system and areas that depend on it, including communities, farms, mines, Tribal lands, and water infrastructure.
Gosar said the visit would help illustrate the practical challenges facing Arizona’s water delivery systems while providing an opportunity to discuss potential solutions.
Among the approaches he identified were desalination, advanced water treatment, aquifer recharge, water storage, and water conveyance infrastructure.
“My objective is not to assign blame,” Gosar wrote in his letter. “It is to ensure that federal policy reflects the realities facing Arizona and that our state receives fair treatment as we work toward a durable agreement.”
