U.S. Water News Online
PHOENIX -- Delegates at the 85th Arizona Town Hall have called for more intensive water conservation campaigns, a statewide water resources plan and help for rural areas where growth is outstripping the water supply.
The final 12-page report was adopted after three days of talks among more than 170 invited participants at the annual Town Hall, held this time at the Grand Canyon.
Delegates decided their primary recommendation was to find dedicated and secure funding sources for water management and infrastructure, beginning with the budget-strapped state Department of Water Resources.
That agency oversees all of the state's water resources to some degree, but suffered deep cuts during recent legislative sessions.
The Town Hall report takes a strong stand in favor of restored funding for the water department.
It also singles out problems faced by rural cities and counties and urges support to give local governments authority to consider water in approving subdivision plans.
In most areas outside Phoenix, Tucson and Prescott, a subdivision can't be rejected solely because the water supply may be inadequate.
Delegates endorsed operation of the Yuma Desalting Plant, which has sat idle for more than a decade.
They said the desalination plant could help protect Arizona's interests on the Colorado River, as long as turning it back on didn't destroy a sensitive marsh area about 90 miles south of Yuma in Mexico.
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