CAP Provides Renewable Water Supplies for Pinal County

By Terri Kibler

Central Arizona Water Conservation District Board of Directors

Representing Pinal County

In recent months, I have seen and heard much debate about our water situation in Pinal County. In our dry desert region, and particularly in our fast-growing and largely rural county, water is our most important natural resource. It's critical both to sustain our agricultural heritage, and as a source of supply for our evolving cities and towns.

As your elected representative to the Central Arizona Water Conservation District Board of Directors (the policy makers for the Central Arizona Project - CAP), I've been working to ensure that the interests of our county are represented in decisions about how we use Colorado River water in Central and Southern Arizona.

There are many water-related challenges we face today, and by most accounts, those and other challenges will grow in the future. It's important that you are aware of what CAP is doing today to plan for and address our water concerns, so that you can make informed choices in your personal and professional lives. Let me share just a few of the ways in which CAP is working in Pinal County.

CAP has partnered with several Irrigation Districts in our region in projects known as "Groundwater Savings Facilities." At these locations, irrigators use CAP water rather than groundwater, thus leaving the groundwater in place for use in the future. Since these projects got under way, more than 1.5 trillion gallons of groundwater that would otherwise have been used has been preserved in our aquifer. In addition, Pinal agriculture directly uses another 650 billion gallons of CAP water for irrigation each year, preserving an equal amount of groundwater for the future.

CAP also has long-term delivery contracts for cities such as Apache Junction, Casa Grande, Coolidge, Eloy, and Florence. Importing renewable Colorado River water allows them to grow and supports economic development in our region. Our local Native American nations also benefit from CAP deliveries and are expanding both agriculture and other uses on their lands.

Looking to the future, CAP is very involved in on-going local, regional and national research on Climate Change, and its potential impacts on our water supplies. We've been in the forefront of multi-state discussions on how best to deal with probable shortages on the River. We've identified hundreds of billions of gallons of additional water supplies that could be developed if our access to Colorado River water is reduced.

CAP is the steward of Central and Southern Arizona's share of Colorado River water, and it’s a responsibility that I take very seriously. As a long-time Pinal County resident and a local business owner, I've had the opportunity to represent my neighbors in various agricultural and political organizations and on the Casa Grande Elementary District School Board. I'm honored and humbled by the trust you've put in me.

At CAP, I have the privilege to represent you to an organization that will help our county meet the water challenges of the future, and serves an important role today in support of our diverse community. If you'd like more information about CAP or what the Board of Director's does, visit www.cap-az.com or call our Pinal County Communications Representative at 520-682-9077.

Published in Casa Grande Dispatch – July 15, 2009