Arizona Capitol Times Your Inside Source for Arizona Government, Politics and Business

There’s no quicker way to put an audience to sleep than to delve into the intricacies of water policy but voters are increasingly waking up to the issue.

Rep. Rusty Bowers, R-Mesa, said in order to find solutions to the state’s water crisis, there needs to be political will. Praying might also do the trick, he said.

As the Central Arizona Project celebrates the 50th anniversary of the federal act that authorized the massive water project, Arizona is still locked in complicated conversations about how the state will move forward on water issues.

If the lake levels dip too low, Arizona could lose about a seventh of its annual water allotment to the Central Arizona Project, which supplies much of the state’s water.

The Arizona Game and Fish Department has been building, expanding and maintaining catchments since the 1940s, now spending thousands each year to ensure healthy wildlife populations – part of the department’s mission – even in the toughest Arizona conditions.

One of the country’s hottest U.S. Senate races could turn on how to quench the state’s thirst — that is, if any of the candidates manage to come up with a coherent plan.

Much work has been done and much will continue to be done – but the sooner we have the drought-contingency plan in place, the greater the benefits we will all reap via a plan that is acceptable to all Arizona water users.

As we face the first Colorado River shortage, we need to get it right the first time. Arizona needs to implement LBDCP in a way that strengthens and preserves the long-term water management that is critical to our communities and economy.

The Arizona Sustainable Water Workgroup (SWWg) advocates for more transparency, expanded stakeholder participation, and more sustainable solutions in Arizona water policy. At this crucial time for water policy decisions, our group has stepped forward to advocate for a fundamental concept that is often lost in the current water debate – the critical need to save Arizona’s rivers, streams, and springs.