March 29, 2024 6:16 AM
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Monumental Investment Approved to Secure Arizona’s Water Future – Arizona State Senate Republican Caucus

A historic water bill just passed the Arizona State Senate with bipartisan support. SB1740 greatly enhances the Arizona Water Infrastructure Financing Authority (WIFA), which would be responsible for managing a huge $1 billion appropriation to address the water issues our state is currently facing. Arizona has once again demonstrated that it is the most proactive Lower Colorado River Basin state, ready to address water concerns and serve as a model for other Arizona water neighbors, as well as the US Department of Interior.

WIFA is a statewide entity with the necessary new governance structure, duties, authorities, and staffing to promote water conservation, while identifying and developing new, innovative long-term water sources. WIFA will be tasked with finding new water solutions but will not be a regulatory body. WIFA will achieve this through limited ownership and control of new water resources, as well as by providing financing to other water projects.

This bill contains strong guiding principles and a purpose statement that will help to create a focused vision for fiscally responsible implementation. As our state faces challenges, relying on the status quo is no longer an option. The enhancement of WIFA enables Arizona to take a proactive approach to water management rather than relying on the federal government to shape our future.

When it comes to water, Arizona has always been innovative, enterprising, and resourceful. Arizona is renowned for its strategic and aggressive planning, preparedness, and preservation of water. Despite having a population that is more than seven times larger than it was in 1957, Arizona consumes less water today. The Central Arizona Project, the 1980 Groundwater Act, the more recent Drought Contingency Plan (DCP), and the 500 Plus Plan are just a few examples of how Arizonans have worked together across party lines to address current water concerns.

“Water issues affect all Arizonans, regardless of their political affiliation. This legislation required broad bipartisan collaboration, the opinions of many experts, and practical solutions. Today, we fulfilled our promise to Arizona by setting in motion a strong pathway towards securing future water sources,” said Senator Sine Kerr (R-13).

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2 Responses

  1. Sounds good but the result will be dependent on who is running the project. Hopefully with a Billion tax dollars it will be able to “create” new water and not just rearrange the deck chairs on the Titanic.

  2. Here’s an idea to save water. Make lawns and the heavy use of grass for landscaping public spaces illegal. They are not a necessity, they make no sense in a place like The Valley and their existence substantially increases the demand for water. Here in Peoria, there are a lot of lawns and they need to go.

    Give the lawn owners a few cubic yards of rock at cost or subsidized a bit to soften the financial impact. The result will be a dramatic decrease in demand, less useless yard work, fewer lawnmowers, less fuel & fertilizer usage and the like.

    Another idea: make golf course owners pay a heavy premium for water and let them pass the additional cost along to golfers. Sorry, grass for golf courses is not a necessity, so regulators should make it clear that golfers must pay the full cost of the water used for their bewildering “sport”. Bam! Lower demand for water.

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