The AMWUA Story
~Our Milestones Over the Years~
1969
AMWUA IS INCORPORATED BY MESA, PHOENIX, AND SCOTTSDALE. GLENDALE AND TEMPE JOIN.
The founding members establish AMWUA to facilitate and advance municipal cooperation in securing and maintaining water and water rights for urban uses.
The original five AMWUA members serve water to approximately 800,000 people; today, AMWUA’s ten members serve roughly 3.5 million.
The slides that follow mark some of AMWUA’s major efforts since its founding nearly fifty years ago.
The original five AMWUA members serve water to approximately 800,000 people; today, AMWUA’s ten members serve roughly 3.5 million.
The slides that follow mark some of AMWUA’s major efforts since its founding nearly fifty years ago.
1973
EFFLUENT AGREEMENT IS SIGNED
AMWUA negotiates an agreement with APS to provide reclaimed wastewater for cooling purposes at the Palo Verde Nuclear Generating Station. The reclaimed wastewater is treated by the 91st Avenue Wastewater Treatment Facility owned by the original five AMWUA members. Palo Verde remains the largest nuclear power plant in the U.S. and the only plant not located on a large body of fresh water. The use of reclaimed wastewater offsets the plant’s need for groundwater or surface water by 70,000 acre-feet annually.
1980
GROUNDWATER MANAGEMENT ACT
Governor Bruce Babbitt signs the landmark Arizona Groundwater Management Act on June 12, 1980. AMWUA’s first Executive Director, Bill Stephens (second from right), and Kathy Ferris, who would later serve as AMWUA’s legal counsel and Executive Director (seventh from left), were members of Governor Babbitt’s “Rump Group” that negotiated the provisions of the Act.
Today, the Act continues to be one of the nation’s most progressive laws for managing groundwater supplies.
Today, the Act continues to be one of the nation’s most progressive laws for managing groundwater supplies.
1982
AMWUA ESTABLISHES REGIONAL CONSERVATION PROGRAM
AMWUA initiates the Regional Conservation Program in response to the Groundwater Management Act’s emphasis on conservation to reduce groundwater mining. AMWUA members pool expertise and financial resources to develop and implement conservation initiatives that are common to the individual members’ programs, ensuring efficiency and consistent, visible Valley-wide messaging.
1984
CAP M&I SUBCONTRACTS ARE SIGNED
On October 1984 at an AMWUA Board of Directors meeting, Mayors (l to r) Drinkwater of Scottsdale, Brooks of Mesa, Renner of Glendale, and Goddard of Phoenix sign the CAP M&I Subcontracts for their cities, securing a renewable water supply for their cities’ growth well into the next century.
Collectively, the ten AMWUA members now have subcontracts for nearly 300,000 acre-feet of CAP water. An acre-foot of water will serve approximately two households of four, per year.
Collectively, the ten AMWUA members now have subcontracts for nearly 300,000 acre-feet of CAP water. An acre-foot of water will serve approximately two households of four, per year.
1986
Goodyear joins AMWUA
By 1986, increasing interest from other municipalities in membership in the Association required that the AMWUA Board of Directors adopt membership criteria for Association members. The Board of Directors also adopted criteria for associate (non-voting) membership. Goodyear subsequently joined AMWUA as a non-voting member. The City of Goodyear applied for and became a full voting member in 2015.
1986
peoria joins AMWUA
By 1986, increasing interest from other municipalities in membership in the Association required that the AMWUA Board of Directors adopt membership criteria for Association members. The Board of Directors also adopted criteria for associate (non-voting) membership. Peoria subsequently joined AMWUA as a non-voting member. In 1991, the City of Peoria applied for and became a full voting member.
1986
ARIZONA ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY
Governor Babbitt appoints AMWUA’s Executive Director to a commission to develop a comprehensive statewide environmental quality program. The program results in the Arizona Environmental Quality Act and the creation of the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality. AMWUA staff participates in committees and subcommittees that examine issues and make valuable recommendations to the commission.
1986
UNDERGROUND WATER STORAGE, SAVINGS AND REPLENISHMENT ACT IS SIGNED
AMWUA develops the initial statutory concepts for what will later become the Underground Water Storage Act and lobbies for the Act’s passage.
Underground storage of water for later recovery and use is now a pillar of water supply management in central Arizona.
Underground storage of water for later recovery and use is now a pillar of water supply management in central Arizona.
1987
BAN ON DRINKING WATER FOR SUBDIVISION LAKES
AMWUA advocates for a ban on the use of drinking water to fill and maintain manmade lakes in residential subdivisions. The “Lakes Bill” is eventually passed, prohibiting the construction of new bodies of water used primarily for landscape, scenic, or recreational purposes, with some exceptions.
1989
INTERCONNECTION FACILITY AGREEMENTS ARE SIGNED WITH SRP
AMWUA negotiates the interconnection facility agreement with SRP, establishing the terms and conditions for construction, operation, and maintenance of the facility. The interconnection facility, partially funded by the AMWUA members, allows CAP water to be diverted into the Salt River Project (SRP) canal system. SRP is the first federal reclamation project in the country and delivers water supplies to nine of the AMWUA members.
1992-1993
ROOSEVELT DAM MODIFIED OPERATING AGREEMENT IS SIGNED; APPLICATIONS TO APPROPRIATE ARE FILED
Six AMWUA members contributed funding to raise Roosevelt Dam on the Salt River to include additional storage capacity for those members. AMWUA aids negotiating the multi-party Modified Roosevelt Dam Operating Agreement. AMWUA also coordinates the preparation of its members’ applications to the Arizona Department of Water Resources to obtain rights to the water stored by the additional capacity of Modified Roosevelt Dam.
1993
CLIFF DAM REPLACEMENT WATER
AMWUA identifies and evaluates options for a replacement supply of water for its members when Congress eliminates the construction of Cliff Dam as a feature of the CAP. AMWUA eventually negotiates the agreement to transfer the Hohokam Irrigation and Drainage District’s entitlement to CAP water to the AMWUA members.
1996
ARIZONA WATER BANKING AUTHORITY
AMWUA engages in the negotiations leading to the establishment of the Arizona Water Banking Authority (AWBA). The AWBA stores excess CAP water underground for later use by CAP subcontractors, including AMWUA members, during times of shortages of CAP water.
1999
AMWUA members develop "Water—Use it Wisely", an ongoing media campaign providing a consistent Valley-wide conservation awareness message that is jointly funded by AMWUA, the AMWUA members, and other water agencies located in the Salt River Valley. The campaign quickly spreads nationally and gains international recognition.
2002
ARIZONA POLLUTANT DISCHARGE ELIMINATION SYSTEM PERMIT PROGRAM
AMWUA participates in the successful negotiations to change Arizona state law allowing the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality to assume primary responsibility for the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) program in Arizona. The NPDES program regulates discharges into waters of the United States in order to protect water quality.
2004
CAGRD PLAN OF OPERATION 2005-2015 SUBMITTED TO ADWR
AMWUA participates in the stakeholder process to develop the first ten-year plan of operation for the Central Arizona Groundwater Replenishment District (CAGRD). The Arizona Department of Water Resources approves the plan. CAGRD has the responsibility of replenishing groundwater pumped by CAGRD members with renewable supplies. This practice allows CAGRD members to demonstrate an assured water supply.
2007
AVONDALE JOINS AMWUA
Avondale joined AMWUA as a full voting member in 2007. In the city’s membership application, the mayor cited shared goals, including a reliance on sustainable, renewable supplies; supporting the goals of the Groundwater Management Act; and a commitment to sound water management and planning.
2008
AMWUA SUSTAINABILITY POLICIES STAKEHOLDER PROCESS
The AMWUA Board of Directors convenes a stakeholder process to examine the sustainability of the CAGRD model of replenishing groundwater after it is pumped by CAGRD members. The stakeholder process results in a white paper on CAGRD Enrollment that recommends legislative changes to how CAGRD operates.
2011
STAKEHOLDER COALITION ADD WATER PROPOSAL IS DEVELOPED
The Central Arizona Water Conservation District, which operates the CAP, initiates a stakeholder process to develop a program for the Acquisition, Development, and Distribution (ADD) of new water supplies for Maricopa, Pinal, and Pima Counties to ensure continued economic development. AMWUA convenes a stakeholder process of its own and develops a consensus proposal on an ADD Water Program.
2015
MOVING FORWARD PHASE 1 REPORT
AMWUA’s Executive Director co-chairs the Moving Forward Municipal and Industrial Conservation and Reuse Workgroup. The Moving Forward Phase 1 Report describes opportunities and potential actions to address the gap between supply and demand identified in the Colorado River Basin Water Supply and Demand Study, completed in 2012. The Basin Study and the Moving Report are both collaborative efforts initiated by the Bureau of Reclamation and the seven Colorado River Basin states.
2019
Drought Contingency Plan (DCP)
To better protect Colorado River supplies, the seven Basin States and Mexico have agreed to take even less water than previously decided. This new agreement is called the Drought Contingency Plan (DCP), and lasts through 2026. DCP requires the Basin States to take progressively less water as the amount stored in reservoirs declines. By using less water sooner, we reduce the risk of more painful cutbacks later. As the lowest priority water user on the Colorado River, Arizona must reduce the amount of water it takes before the other states.