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MEETING SUMMARY
ARIZONA WATER BANKING AUTHORITY
Final Minutes
December 15, 1999
Arizona Department of Water Resources
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Welcome/Opening Remarks
All members of the Authority were present except for Senator Ken Bennett and Representative Gail Griffin.
Minutes
The Authority members approved the minutes from the October 20, 1999 meeting.
Plan of Operation and Other Staff Activities
Tim Henley, Manager of the AWBA, reviewed the 1999 water deliveries. The 1999 Amended Plan of Operations forecast deliveries of 373,325af of water to recharge facilities. It appears that actual deliveries will be less than that due to decreased recharge opportunities at the Groundwater Storage Facilities in Pinal County and GRUSP in Maricopa County.
Mr. Henley stated that there will be a presentation regarding recovery made to CAWCD sometime in early January. He anticipates this being followed by a recovery subcommittee meeting sometime in early February.
Approval of 2000 Plan of Operation
Mr. Henley briefly described the 2000 Plan and noted that it is similar to plans of the past. He specifically noted the two new recharge facilities, the Agua Fria and the Lower Santa Cruz, and gave a status report of the facilities. Mr. Renner explained that CAWCD is attempting to obtain limited eminent domain power in this legislative session to facilitate completion of the Agua Fria facility.
Mr. Henley also noted a change in the financing of the Plan. In 2000, Withdrawal Fee money is available and will be utilized in Pinal County while General Fund money will be utilized in Pima County.
Finally, Mr. Henley discussed two items not in the Plan: Indian settlements and interstate projects. It is expected that water storage for these purposes may be included in the 2001 Plan of Operation.
The Authority adopted the 2000 Plan of Operation as presented.
Update on Bureau of Reclamation Rule Governing Offstream Storage of Colorado River Water
Michael Pearce, Chief Counsel for ADWR, presented a comparison of the draft and final rule with emphasis on the specific concerns of the AWBA and ADWR and how those concerns were addressed. The ADWR has determined that the rule became effective on December 1, 1999. The concerns discussed were: language regarding storage credits and redemption; role of state authorized entities; requirement of physical storage of water; Secretary of the Interior a party to all contracts; and possible banking by tribal entities. Copies of Mr. Pearce’s analysis were included in the packet of handouts.
The next step in the process is a determination by the Director of ADWR that the final rule does or does not meet the statutory mandates described in Arizona Revised Statutes § 45-2427. There will be a public meeting on January 13, 2000 at 1:00 p.m. in Conference Room A, ADWR, to receive comments regarding this issue.
Following a positive determination that the rule meets the statutory mandates, interstate negotiations can be initiated. The Authority determined that a special meeting should be held to develop principles of negotiation. This meeting is proposed for the last week in January and a meeting date will be announced when a date is finalized.
Interstate Issues
Ms. Pearson briefly discussed the letter sent by the other six basin states to Mr. Tom Hannigan and Mr. Gerald Zimmerman which articulated the state’s concerns with the Quantification Agreement reached between three California water districts. She stated that this is an on-going issue that will remain on the Authority’s agenda.
Call to the Public
The next meeting is Wednesday, March 15, 2000 at 10:00 a.m.
The meeting was adjourned at 11:15 a.m.
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