Three Arizona governmental agencies committed recently� to address the realities of scarce water supply and� inadequate policy through a new "blue ribbon panel.”� � 

The body will be� based on Gov. Jan Brewer's Earth Day promise to highlight water conservation and recycling.� � 

The agencies’ directors said they plan to use the joint Arizona Corporation Commission (ACC), Arizona Department of Water Resources (ADWR), and Arizona Department of Environmental Quality (ADEQ) group to change water policies, in areas such as conservation and recycling. The Central Arizona Project (CAP),� is not a part of the panel, stressed ADWR director Herb Guenther, "but a very important stakeholder and of course they will be involved."

In an interview, however, CAP spokesman Bob Barrett said, "we've never heard of it."� 

The panel will be confronted by limitations of a conservative state Legislature that generally views environmental and conservation� issues� with suspicion.� As well, implementing new state water policies is difficult in a severe economic crisis.

"When you talk about water in Arizona, things don't move too quickly,” Guenther said.�  “Everybody has to get comfortable and in this end of the spectrum (of reducing water use) it is automatically uncomfortable.� The first thing is conserve water, next reuse or recycle it �“ these are the least expensive.� 

“A bigger challenge is augmentation and bringing in additional water supplies in light of ongoing drought and global warming.� We need to first look at our own possibilities for desalination of saline waters below highly saline soils. We need to desalinize aquifers that grew salty from importation of water, agricultural leaching of salts or were naturally salty. Then we have to look at importing ocean water."

Republican Kris Mayes, head of the ACC said recently, "we live in one of the world's� driest places and� we have a looming water crisis� that we have to address� at every level."� � 

Mayes� added that conservation of water use by power plants� was something that� "ACC could prioritize in coordination with ADWR.�  “I will be writing a letter outlining policy directions that we can take toward utilizing dry cooling at least at some power plants in some parts of the state," she said.� � � 

Mayes� stressed that there are no regulatory guidelines in Arizona to require or even to provide incentives for water companies to charge much higher prices for water consumption beyond a basic level.� � 

"The ACC only regulates the smaller private water companies and not municipal water companies on a case-by-case basis,” Mayes said. “This is a difficult subject to discuss.� But these are not the ‘big dog’ municipal water companies and I believe that it would require a legislative change for this to take place."� � �  � 

Guenther agreed that any change in state policy would require the Legislature to� "get educated"� that major water conservation measures are essential.

The power

The governor has the power to do quite a bit,” he said, “but it is important that any actions not be viewed as a 'takings' of private property rights.� Unfortunately, existing groundwater law won’t get us where we must go.� 

“How do we get more life into the conservation movement in Arizona?�  One example; we don’t reuse or recycle most of our effluent.� We� are at about 3 percent and we should be at 25-30 percent when you look at available technology today."

One water conservation issue that has faced criticism in southeastern Arizona, the prioritization of water rights for mining, "would need to go back to the state Legislature and be subjected to cost-benefit analysis.�  It's beyond any executive or joint agency decision-making," Guenther said.

ADEQ Director Ben Grumbles� said, "Traditionally gray water reuse and recycling is more up the alley of DEQ.�  In that area we can look at� standards and incentives that would expand gray water, cut the red tape and regulatory blocks to utilizing them."� 

Funding

Grumbles added, "I'm currently heading up WIFA (Water Infrastructure Financing Authority).� We have opportunities through the Federal Clean Water Act and the American Recovery and Investment Act to fund water recycling and conservation, develop water and energy audits and to finance green infrastructure."

Paul Newman, an ACC Democratic commissioner, agreed with Grumbles that WIFA may offer a chance to get a number of small water companies such as the Valle Verde Water Co. in Nogales to improve its water conservation. "It would be great to see some of the poorest people� not only getting water that is potable but to� be able to� recycle� water and reuse it in their communities," he said.

Valle Verde Water Co. currently has a case before the ACC, proposing a new water-rate structure. The proposed rates are structured to encourage conservation.

"The three agencies share the desire to have an open dialogue and put key issues, including controversial ones, on the table but we don't want issues to be so broad as to lose focus," said Grumbles.

Guenther said, "You have to look at projects and changes you can accomplish to get the most bang for the buck and you need cooperation to do it."� 

Mayes� said, "I think it's pretty significant that we have three agencies working together and obviously the proof is in the pudding, but I� hope it’s not just another panel and that our work leads to some action."� 

Anyone interested in becoming part of the stakeholder panel should contact the three PIOs for the agencies:� Mark Shaffer at ADEQ (Shaffer.Mark@azdeq.gov),� Jack LaVelle at ADWR (jrlavelle@azwater.gov) and Rebbeca Wilder at ACC (rwilder@azcc.gov). � 

(Editor’s Note: Kamp is environmental liaison for Wick Communications which owns the Nogales International and Weekly Bulletin.)