Arizona water bills to rise as Colorado River cuts take effect under federal plan

Across Arizona, the Colorado River's long contraction has finally arrived at the household level — not as empty taps, but as higher bills. New federal rules formalizing reduced water allocations mark the end of an era of cheap, abundant supply, even as years of careful planning by city officials have ensured the water itself will keep flowing. The cost of that foresight, it turns out, is not measured in scarcity but in dollars, and it is now being passed to the people who drink it.