 PRESS RELEASES
Appointment of Senator
Bennett to AWBA
Phoenix -- Arizona Senate President Brenda Burns has appointed
Senator Ken Bennett to the Arizona Water Banking Authority (AWBA). Senator Bennett is an
ex-officio, non-voting member of the seven-member Authority, which establishes policy,
approves budget matters, and oversees other functions of the AWBA.
Senator Ken Bennett represents Legislative District 1 in the Arizona Senate. Senator
Bennett serves as Vice Chairman of the Finance Committee and as a member of the Education
committee, Appropriations committee and Family Services committee. He also serves on three
special committees: the Joint Legislative Tax committee, Adjudication Monitoring
committee, and Rural Health Care Reform committee.
Senator Bennett is also a member of the Education Leaders Council in Washington, D.C.
Senator Bennett, a graduate of ASU, has lived in Arizona for almost 40 years and is the
CEO of Bennett's Oil Company. Senator Bennett is married with three children.
AWBA Amended 1999
Plan of Operation
Amended 1999 Plan of Operation - Clicking here will spawn a new
seperate browser window and load the document. When you are finished, simply close
the window to return to this page.
Summary of Recovery
Subcommittee Workshop and Future Plans
On Wednesday, April 29, 1999, the AWBA held a Recovery Subcommittee
Workshop to provide a starting point for discussions about future water recovery efforts
in Arizona. At the Workshop, representatives from WestLand Resources, an environmental
consulting firm with whom the AWBA has contracted for services, explained the water
delivery infrastructure data they have collected and showed how that information was
compiled. AWBA staff then explained the policy implications of recovering water in the
future and how this data will help the state and other entities plan recovery efforts in
the future.
WestLand Resources constructed a GIS database. The database can be used to construct maps
showing the location of canals, pipelines, contaminated sites, wells, and other
information. The specific data is available in CD-ROM format.
The AWBA asks that parties interested in any data contained on the CD-Rom to contact Kim
Kunasek or Tim Henley at the AWBA and explain what type of information they are interested
in obtaining. We will make that information available to you for your review, then if
there are changes or corrections to be made, we will do so before making the CD-Rom
available. At this time, we are not distributing copies of the CD, as it is a working
“document” that is likely to change in the next month.
Please make requests for data no later than May 7, 1999. AWBA staff plans to hold a
second Recovery Workshop in mid-June to follow up on any new information obtained.
If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to call either Tim or me.
Governor Hull Signs Water
Banking Authority Legislative Package (HB 2463)
On April 1, 1999, Governor Jane Dee Hull signed House Bill 2463 into
law. The water banking amendments include provisions to:
- allow the Arizona Water Banking Authority to perform banking services
for specific entities in Arizona and create a mechanism for distribution of long-term
storage credits earned on behalf of specific Arizona entities;
- permit the AWBA to store effluent for the same purposes allowed for
Central Arizona Project water but only when all available excess CAP water has been stored
or when excess CAP water is not available to the AWBA;
- protect non-CAP surface water supplies;
- create a mechanism for long-term storage credit lending; and
- require the AWBA to include in each annual report a section that
discusses how the previous year’s activity fits in with the authority’s
long-term goals.
The legislative package is the product of the Arizona Water Banking
Authority Study Commission, which was established to explore possible additional roles for
the Authority.
In its deliberations, the Study Commission addressed a number of
subjects, including:
- Planning and Modeling
- Financial and Taxation Issues
- Interstate and Intrastate Water Banking and Marketing
- Water Banking Benefits Outside of the CAP Service Area, and
- Indian Issues.
Under terms of the legislation:
A.R.S. § 45-2401 is amended to recognize a need in the future to
provide for the efficient use of all water resources in Arizona and the need for a
centralized source of water banking services. The bill amends A.R.S. §§ 45-2423 to allow
the AWBA to perform banking services for specific entities in Arizona and creates a
mechanism for distribution of long-term storage credits earned on behalf of specific
Arizona entities.
A.R.S. § 45-2423(B) is amended to permit the AWBA to store effluent
for the same purposes allowed for CAP water but only when all available excess CAP water
has been stored or when excess CAP water is not available to the AWBA. In order to
maximize efficient water management, when available excess CAP supplies are unavailable,
the AWBA should be able to recharge effluent if it is available. Recharging effluent will
not, however, take priority over the AWBA’s duty to recharge as much CAP water as
possible.
A.R.S. § 45-2401 is amended to state a need to protect non-CAP
surface water supplies. The AWBA will have the ability to determine the amount of
four-cent tax generated long-term storage credits needed to “firm” supplies for
CAP municipal and industrial (M&I) subcontractors, and based on that determination, it
could use any “excess” four-cent tax monies to firm supplies for non-CAP
M&I surface water users (such as the Salt River Project, Maricopa Water Conservation
District, and Roosevelt Water Conservation District) within the CAP service area. Under
current law, long-term storage credits accrued with four-cent tax revenues can only be
used to firm CAP M&I subcontractors’ supplies in times of shortage or
disruption of the CAP system. Ideally, non-CAP sources could be protected through
the AWBA’s water resource management authority.
HB 2463 creates a mechanism for long-term storage credit lending. A
long-term storage credit lending procedure will enable the Authority to loan credits to
any Arizona entity for use in Arizona and allows the Authority to receive reasonable
compensation for lending credits.
Finally, the Authority is required to include in each annual report
a section that discusses how the previous year’s activity fits in with the overall
long-term goals of the AWBA. By adding information that projects into the future, the
annual report will provide a better long-term projection of Authority activities over the
next ten years and how each year’s activities are working toward accomplishing the
Authority’s long-term goals. These goals may evolve and change over time, so updating
each year will give the public a better grasp of the Authority’s changing role.
The Authority’s primary function, maximizing use of
Arizona’s 2.8 million acre foot apportionment of Colorado River water by recharging
excess CAP water, will remain its primary function. Most of the new functions discussed
above will be entirely discretionary and will only be undertaken if they do not jeopardize
the Authority’s ability to recharge excess CAP water to protect Arizonans from water
shortages in the future and to help Arizona achieve its groundwater management goals.
Read
text of HB 2463
Study Commission Interim and Final
Reports
1998 Study Commission Final Report Issued
The Arizona Water Banking Authority Study
Commission has completed its work and has prepared a final report of its findings and
recommendations.
If you would like to obtain a copy of the report, please contact Nannette Flores.
- Email: nxflores@adwr.state.az.us
- Telephone: (602)417-2418
- U.S. Mail: Nannette Flores, Administrative Assistant. Arizona
Water Banking Authority, 500 North Third Street, Phoenix, Arizona 85004).
Comments on the Definition of "Authorized Entity"; 43 CFR Part 414
(OCTOBER 22, 1998) - On September 21, 1998, the
Bureau of Reclamation published notice of the reopening of the comment period on the
proposed rule, 43 CFR Part 414. The notice solicited comments on the definition of
"Authorized Entity" in that proposed rule. The Arizona Water Banking Authority
hereby submits the following comments on these issues.
Text of letter addressing definition of
"Authorized Entity"
 entity.pdf (Adobe Acrobat
format) [25kb]
Tucson AMA Facility Plan now available
(SEPTEMBER 29, 1998) - This Facility Plan
identifies the facilities in the Tucson area that could be available to the AWBA to meet
its statutory objectives. The Plan includes; Facility Plan Development, Institutional and
Financial Considerations, Available Facilities, and the Facility Plan itself.
TAMA Facility Plan (Adobe Acrobat format)
[155kb]
Offstream Storage of Colorado River Water and Interstate Redemption of Storage
Credits in the Lower Division States
(SEPT 23, 1998)-
AGENCY: Bureau of Reclamation, Interior.
ACTION: Proposed rule; reopening of comment period.
SUMMARY: The Department of the Interior (‘‘the Department’’ or
‘‘we’’) hereby gives notice that we are reopening the comment period
on our proposed rule entitled ‘‘Offstream Storage of Colorado River Water and
Interstate Redemption of Storage Credits in the Lower Division States.’’ We
originally published the proposed rule on December 31, 1997, at 62 FR 68492, and accepted
public comments until April 3, 1998.
DATES: We must receive your comments at the address below on or before October 21,
1998.
FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. Dale Ensminger, (702) 293–8659.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: We request that interested parties provide comments on
whether an authorized entity in a Storing State under the rule must hold an
‘‘entitlement’’ to use Colorado River water pursuant to court decree,
contract with the United States, or reservation of water from the Secretary of the
Interior. As published on December 31, 1997, section 414.2 of the proposed rule defined
‘‘authorized entity’’ as ‘‘a State water banking authority,
or other entity of a Lower Division State holding entitlements to Colorado River water. *
* *’’ Section 414.2 of the proposed rule defined
‘‘Entitlement’’ as ‘‘an authorization to beneficially use
Colorado River water pursuant to: (1) a decreed right, (2) a contract with the United
States through the Secretary, or (3) a reservation of water from the
Secretary.’’ The Department received differing comments on these definiti ons
and other technical matters during the previous comment period. For example, differing
comments on the definition of ‘‘authorized entity’’ revealed that some
read the definition as allowing a State Water Bank to participate in activities under the
rule without holding an entitlement to Colorado River water, while others did not. We
invite comment on whether the definition of ‘‘authorized entity’’
should be revised to clarify that an ‘‘authorized entity,’’ including
a State water bank, must hold an entitlement to Colorado River water in order to ensure
consistency with the Law of the River, including specifically section 5 of the Boulder
Canyon Project Act, 43 U.S.C. 617d, as interpreted by the Supreme Court in Arizona v.
California, 373 U.S. 546 (1963). We also invite comment on whether efficiency,
flexibility, and certainty in Colorado River management may result combining an approval
Interstate Storage Agreement and a c ontract under Section 5 of the Boulder Canyon Project
Act into one document, thus making the parties entitlement holders upon execution of the
Agreement. And, we invite comment on whether, if the documents are not combined, the
Interstate Storage Agreements and any separate Section 5 contract (or amendments to an
existing contract) should be processed and approved simultaneously to eliminate
duplication of any administrative and compliance procedures. Dated: September 15, 1998.
Patricia J. Beneke, Assistant Secretary—Water and Science.
Formatted Announcement from Federal Register (PDF format) [12kb]
1997 Annual Report Issued
(JULY 1, 1998) - In accordance with Arizona Revised
Statutes section 45-2426, the AWBA has submitted its 1997 Annual Report to the Governor of
Arizona, President of the Arizona Senate, and Speaker of the Arizona House of
Representatives. This report includes;
- An accounting of all monies expended from the banking fund.
- An accounting of all monies in the banking fund remaining available
to the Authority.
- The amount of water stored by the Authority.
- The number of long-term storage credits distributed or extinguished
by the Authority.
- The purposes for which long-term storage credits were distributed or
extinguished by the Authority.
- Any other matter determined by the Authority to be relevant to the
policy and purposes of this chapter.
Link to 1997 Annual Report (PDF format)
[130kb]
New Direct Recharge Facility in Tucson Area
(MAY 28, 1998) - On Thursday, May 7, a Dedication
Ceremony was held for the City of Tucson/Central Arizona Project Joint Pima Mine Road
Pilot Recharge Project. The ceremony began at 9 AM and featured presentations by
Tucson Mayor George Miller, CAWCD Board President Grady Gammage Jr., Arizona Department of
Water Resources Director Rita Pearson, and Tucson Water Lead Administrator Bruce Johnson.
This pilot project is intended to recharge up to 10,000 acre-feet (3.2 billion gallons) of
CAP water over a two-year period. The Arizona Water Banking Authority is scheduled to
store 5,000 acre feet of water there in 1998. Eventually, up to 30,000 acre-feet may be
recharged each year in a full-scale recharge facility. The Pima Mine Road facility is
located approximately two miles east of I-19 on Pima Mine Road.
Forum on the CAP
Settlement Negotiations Held
(APRIL 14, 1998) - On April 14, 1998, United States
Senator Jon Kyl, Secretary of the Interior Bruce Babbitt, Arizona Governor Jane Hull,
CAWCD President Grady Gammage, Jr., and ADWR Director Rita Pearson hosted a forum on the
CAP settlement negotiations. The meeting was open to the public, and the panel heard
presentations from numerous water interests involved in the negotiations, including the
CAWCD, the cities, agricultural users, tribes, and the Water Bank. The forum was an
opportunity for all affected parties to hear where all parties stand on the settlement
negotiation process. Tim Henley's presentation is enclosed in this mailing.
Link to comments by AWBA Manager
Tim Henley
Link
to comments by ADWR Director Rita Pearson
AWBA Releases Comments on
Proposed Rules for Interstate Water Transfers
(APRIL 1, 1998) - The Arizona Water Banking
Authority has released their revised comments on the proposed rules released by Secretary
of the Interior Bruce Babbitt governing interstate water transfers of Colorado River
water. The proposed rules are permissive in nature and with an interstate agreement
between authorized state entities could allow for the storage of Colorado River water
offstream in one state and the recovery of the water in another
The specific link
to full text ADWR's comments on the Draft Programmatic Environmental Assessment
is no longer available on the ADWR
web site.
Link to full text of AWBA's
comments on proposed rules
The specific link
to full text of ADWR's comments on proposed rules
is no longer available on the ADWR
web site.
The full text of the proposed rules are also available: TEXT, PDF (requires Adobe
Acrobat reader)
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