Arizona Governor Doug Ducey and state legislators say that approving a drought contingency plan before the end of January is their top priority during the annual session that begins Monday.
The plan will need to pass the state Legislature this month or run the risk of having federal water managers impose unspecified measures.
Colorado River water supports about 40 million people across the Southwest. Federal officials believe there’s a chance that the river’s biggest reservoir, Lake Mead, will fall low enough to trigger cutbacks in 2020.