Settlement, Growth, and Water Security for Southwest Cities - Design with the Desert: Conservation and Sustainable Development - page 453

quickly. As Tucson grapples with the challenge of finding ways to best manage its water
resources, growth and development will continue to deplete the existing water resources
of the city. Efforts to conserve water through a tiered water rate structure, public educa-
tion and awareness on water conservation, and regulations requiring the harvesting of
rainwater for new developments, among others, are strategies adopted to help reduce
water use by its residents.
26.7 Water Policy
The development of the West by the turn of the twentieth century raised several concerns
from the western states on how to ensure fair and equitable use of the rivers. The growth
in California in particular had several of the region's leaders concerned that this growth
could lead to disproportionate use by some states. The proposed construction of a dam
near Boulder Canyon prompted the need to establish guidelines for how the Colorado
River water would be shared amongst the states. In 1922, the six Colorado Basin states met
to sign the Colorado River Compact, which divided the river into two water management
groups: the upper, including Wyoming, Utah, Colorado, and New Mexico, and the Lower
Basin that included Arizona, Nevada, and California. Arizona refused to sign the compact,
citing fears of California's overreach in the collective management of the water portfo-
lio. Each basin was allotted 7.5 MAF of water. The division of the Lower Basin allocated
4.4 MAF to California, 2.8 MAF to Arizona, and 0.3 MAF to Nevada. Arizona eventually
signed onto the compact in 1944, but remained grossly unhappy about this arrangement.
Arizona took its case to the Supreme Court, resulting in the 1963 decision in Arizona
v California . This case clarified the division of future surpluses of water on the river, as
well as some disputes over water rights. In addition, the outcome of this case propelled
the CAP to be approved by Congress in 1968. CAP was one of the largest aqueduct proj-
ects in the United States. The aqueduct was built to divert water from the Colorado River
through central Arizona with potential extensions to New Mexico. In response to a fed-
eral ultimatum to reduce its groundwater use, Arizona adopted stringent water manage-
ment policies in 1980 entitled the Arizona Groundwater Management Act (AGWA) to
be administered by the Arizona Department of Water Resources (ADWR). The act cre-
ated five “active management” areas that included all of the urbanized areas in the state
including Phoenix, Tucson, Pinal, Prescott, and Santa Cruz. All development projects
within the AMAs are required to demonstrate that a 100-year supply of water is available
to support this development. Developers protested the requirements of AGMA's ability
to limit development outside municipal water providers' service area. ADWR backped-
aled on this regulation by establishing the Central Arizona Groundwater Replenishment
District (CAGRD). This new entity was set up to draft legal documents to ensure that an
equal amount of water that was withdrawn by the development is replenished in the
AMA. There is no requirement that the water be returned to the same aquifer or within
close proximity to the place it was withdrawn. Currently, CAGRD serves as the water
bank on paper for disconnected development outside the urbanized areas. The CAGRD
is, at the same time, a step in the right direction for preventing overdraft of groundwater
and a measure that has ecological flaws in the manner of providing sustainable “place-
based” water management (Figure 26.10).