Assigned
to NREW & APPROP FOR
COMMITTEE
ARIZONA STATE SENATE
Fifty-Sixth Legislature, First Regular Session
appropriation; groundwater; Santa Rosa canal
Purpose
Appropriates $25 million from the state General Fund (state GF) in FY 2024 to the Arizona Department of Water Resources (ADWR) to distribute equally between the irrigation districts that are constructing infrastructure for the settlement agreement with the Ak-Chin Indian Community (Community) with respect to the districts' delivery of groundwater by means other than the Santa Rosa Canal (SRC).
Background
Irrigation and Drainage Districts
An irrigation district may be organized as a municipal corporation to provide for the irrigation of lands in the area. An irrigation district may also be vested with the powers of a drainage district to drain the lands within the district. Each irrigation district is controlled by a board of directors with the power to: 1) construct, acquire or purchase canals, ditches, reservoir sites, water, water rights, rights-of-way or other property deemed necessary for the irrigation district's use; 2) establish tolls or charges for service of irrigation, domestic water, electricity and other commodities; 3) erect and maintain transmission lines and pipelines, culverts, roads and crossways; and 4) provide the irrigation district with water, electricity and other public conveniences and necessities (A.R.S. §§ 48-2901; 48-2903; 48-2905; 48-2914; and 48-2978).
Ak-Chin Indian Community
The Community is a federally recognized tribe that is adjacent to the City of Maricopa in Pinal County. As part of a settlement with the United States, the Community is entitled to a permanent annual water supply of 75,000 acre-feet of surface water from the Central Arizona Project that is suitable for agricultural use. The United States agreed to design, construct, operate, maintain and replace at no cost to the Community, facilities, including any aqueduct and appurtenant pumping facilities, powerplants and electric power transmission facilities necessary to deliver water to the Community. The United States owns the lateral system of the SRC that serves the Community (ADWR; P.L. 95-328, 95th Congress, 1978 and P.L. 98-530, 98th Congress, 1984).
H.B. 2448 appropriates $25 million from the state GF to ADWR in FY 2024.
Provisions
1. Appropriates $25 million from the state GF in FY 2024 to ADWR to distribute equally between the irrigation districts that are constructing infrastructure for the settlement agreement between the Maricopa-Stanfield Irrigation and Drainage District, the Central Arizona Irrigation and Drainage District and the Community with respect to the districts' delivery of groundwater by means other than the SRC.
2. Becomes effective on the general effective date.
House Action
NREW 2/7/23 DP 10-0-0-0
APPROP 2/15/23 DP 15-0-0-0
3rd Read 2/28/23 32-28-0
Prepared by Senate Research
March 14, 2023
RA/FB/slp