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Central Arizona Water Conservation District (CAWCD)

Revision Date: 
Friday, September 2, 2016

Authority:

Initially created by Laws 1971, Chapter 50.  In 1985 Title 48 (“Special Taxing Districts”) was created and the CAWCD statutes were transferred to Title 48, Chapter 22, Articles 1 through 4 (Laws 1985, Chapter 190, Section 24, effective August 7, 1985)  See A.R.S. §§ 48-3701 to 48-3784 for current statutory authority.

Function:

The CAWCD is a multi-county water district (Maricopa, Pima and Pinal counties) formed to manage the Central Arizona Project (CAP) and to repay the federal government for costs of constructing the CAP.  The CAWCD is also responsible for planning and implementing projects to supply its district with water.  It operates the Central Arizona Groundwater Replenishment District (CAGRD) and several recharge facilities.

History:

The Central Arizona Project was established on September 30, 1968 by the Colorado River Basin Project Act (USPL 1967, Chapter 57, page 380).  The Central Arizona Project is a 336-mile long aqueduct system.  Its primary purpose is to conserve groundwater supplies by importing Arizona’s allocation of mainstream Colorado River water.

The district was established to:

  1. enter into contracts with the Secretary of Interior for water from the CAP
  2. levy a tax on the property within the boundaries of the district in order to repay the federal government for costs of constructing the CAP
  3. manage the $1.2 million project CAP

(#2 and #3 are required by P.L. 90-537)

Originally found in Title 45, Chapter 13, Article 1 (A.R.S. §§ 45-2601 to 45-2617) and Article 2 (A.R.S. §§ 45-2631 to 45-2634).  Transferred and renumbered to Title 48, Chapter 22, Articles 1 through 4 (A.R.S. §§ 48-3701 to A.R.S. 48-3784)

The District is headed by a general manager who reports to the fifteen-member CAWCD Board of Directors.  Board members are popularly elected from CAP’s three county service area and serve staggered six-year terms.

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