April 2005 – The Arizona Water Banking Authority
- Tim Henley
Manager of the Arizona Water Banking Authority;
Presentation (95K pdf)
For over 70 years, Arizona leaders have worked to ensure that Arizona's communities have
dependable long-term water supplies. From securing the state's fair share of Colorado River
water and gaining Congressional authorization of the Central Arizona Project (CAP) to crafting
the 1980 Groundwater Management Code, their foresight and planning has provided the water
supply that serves our growing communities and maintains our quality of life. During the 1996
legislative session, Governor Symington and the State Legislature continued the tradition
by creating the Arizona Water Banking Authority (AWBA).
Until the AWBA was created, Arizona had not used its full 2.8 million acre foot (maf) share of Colorado River water. Without the AWBA, most of the accumulated water left in the Colorado River would have gone to southern California.
The AWBA is an institution that will guide Arizona water planning into the next century. It is Arizona's "water savings account" that ensures that the water supplies future generations inherit from us are just as secure as those we inherited.
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