Dave White, director of the Global Institute of Sustainability and Innovation at Arizona State University, said there are some international and state-level climate reports that could fill in the gaps left by a scaled-back or canceled National Climate Assessment. 

“I’m disappointed, upset, frustrated on behalf of not only myself and my colleagues, but also on behalf of the American communities that benefit from the knowledge and tools developed by the assessment,” White said. “Those will be taken away from American communities now.”

As states begin negotiations over new water agreements, Cynthia Campbell, director of policy innovation for the Arizona Water Initiative said the uncertainty surrounding 2026 means Arizona is starting to consider options. 

“There are scenarios where you could be talking about at certain times of the year, or maybe on an ongoing basis, there might be such low levels of water in the canal that you don’t have enough head to operate the water treatment plant,” said Campbell.

“We not only want to be able to eat but we want to eat for generations and generations and generations, not just for this generation,” said Jay Famiglietti, a Global Futures professor in ASU’s School of Sustainability, where he serves as the director of science for the Arizona Water Innovation Initiative. “As the surface water disappears because of the Colorado River stream flow, we’re going to be putting more pressure on our groundwater."

Kathryn Sorensen, director of research at Kyl Center for Water Policy at Arizona State University said a plan for the Valley has been in the works in case Colorado River water runs low. She said the plan is to fall back on other water supplies like the Salt River, the Verde River and groundwater.

The Town of Camp Verde, Watershed Management, and Arizona State University’s (ASU) Project Cities program are proud to announce the conclusion of their joint Rainwater Demonstration Garden and Rainwater Harvesting Tank Installation Workshop, which took place on April 3, 2025. The project was supported by Impact Water - Arizona, a program of the Arizona Water Innovation Initiative.

Shriya Danekar, an undergraduate environmental engineering student, used her Grand Challenges Scholars Program research stipend to explore her passion for sustainability. Danekar aims to improve the management of the limited water resources in the western U.S. under the supervision of Margaret Garcia, a Fulton Schools associate professor of civil, environmental and sustainable engineering.

"Earth only has three main reservoirs for water storage, namely, the continents, the oceans, and the atmosphere," Prof Jay Famiglietti, another of the study's authors, tells BBC Science Focus. "But the water holding capacity of the atmosphere is insignificant compared to the land and the oceans, so that when water leaves the land, it ends up collecting in the ocean." The result: a drying trend that hasn’t reversed.

“Really bad. … Really bad.” That was the response I got from water policy veteran Kathy Ferris when I asked how bad things could shake out in negotiations on Colorado River management. In a recent phone call on the topic, ASU water expert Sarah Porter nearly mirrored Ferris’ words. “Things could end up… not good… very not good.”

The Arizona Water Innovation Initiative at ASU, whose mission is to provide immediate, actionable and evidence-solutions to strengthen Arizona’s water security, has already experienced great success since its 2022 debut. To date, the initiative has patented technologies, strengthened the state’s water policies toward conservation and empowered communities with a greater understanding of Arizona’s water challenges.

Arizona State University professor Dave White, who chairs the Phoenix Water and Wastewater Advisory Committee, also praised the work that went into the new impact fee increases.