Municipal water providers are essential for ensuring Arizona's water security and prosperity

The ten AMWUA cities, along with the City of Tucson, are responsible for ensuring water is delivered every day of the year to the combined 4.5 million residents in their communities, as well as to the businesses and industries crucial not only to central and southern Arizona's economies but also to the national economy. This is a responsibility that municipal water providers take seriously at every level – from elected mayors and councils to meter readers, water treatment plant operators, and all water professionals within their utility.

Their continual planning and investments in water resources and infrastructure  have resulted in each of these water providers being granted a Designation of Assured Water Supply by the State of Arizona. This Designation means that the Arizona Department of Water Resources has determined that each city has a 100-year water supply to serve all their existing and future water users. The AMWUA municipalities, the City of Tucson, and other designated municipal providers' willingness to achieve this platinum standard for consumer protection and economic resiliency has turned central and southern Arizona into an economic powerhouse generating more than $446 billion in Real Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in 2023. That’s over 85% of Arizona’s GDP! High-tech industries, manufacturing, defense, financial services, health care, home building, higher education institutions, and other businesses and services supporting the regional and national economies thrive here because their communities have invested in the water resources and infrastructure required to serve their needs. 

Arizona’s overall economic prosperity is a direct result of the safe, reliable water systems built, operated, and maintained by the AMWUA cities, the City of Tucson, and other designated municipal providers in central and southern Arizona. Their continual planning, managing, and investing in water resources and infrastructure to demonstrate a 100-year Assured Water Supply has been, first and foremost, why we are able to thrive in the desert. Workers, entrepreneurs, small business owners, major companies, and industries have the confidence to invest in Arizona because its major cities have proven that they have the water necessary to prosper and make Arizona their home.

Now, more than ever, municipal water utilities face enormous challenges. Inflation and supply chain disruptions have elevated all costs, from treating water and constructing critical capital projects to maintaining and adapting infrastructure to meet ongoing and future needs. Tightening federal regulations on water quality has also increased the cost of providing safe drinking water. At the same time, an aging workforce and a tight job market make it more challenging to recruit and retain the water professionals required to do this critical work.  

In addition to the daily challenges and increasing costs of operating and maintaining their water systems, the AMWUA cities and other designated water providers are preparing for an inevitable future with less Colorado River water. This will only increase the pressures on our finite groundwater, so investing in developing new water supplies is essential. Whether the new supplies come from raising Bartlett Dam on the Verde River, stretching water supplies through Advanced Water Purification, or finding alternative water sources, and the necessary infrastructure to make these resources accessible to residents will result in significantly higher water costs than we pay today. For all these reasons, investing in water supplies and infrastructure now is vital to securing a solid economic future.

As the Arizona State Legislature begins its new session, we urge our state leaders to consider how they can best support municipal water providers in meeting their stewardship obligation and responsibility to provide safe, reliable water for the long-term viability of their communities. This includes:

• Defending and enhancing the 100-year Assured Water Supply Program . Any weakening of this platinum standard of sustainable water management will weaken our economy and threaten our future. 
• Prioritize developing and investing in new water supplies to ensure long-term water security. This includes supporting immediate projects like Advanced Water Purification and expanding Bartlett Dam.
• Fulfilling the State’s commitment to WIFA’s Long-Term Water Augmentation Fund.
• Strengthening water management throughout the State to protect all Arizonans will demonstrate to investors that Arizona is effectively managing its groundwater.  

Municipal water providers understand that they are in the forever business. That means they are continually planning and investing to provide water to their citizens and businesses, which is needed now and in the future. Providing safe, reliable water should not be a partisan nor an urban vs. rural issue. We need the Legislature to work with municipal leaders and water professionals to ensure that the municipal water systems in central and southern Arizona remain resilient to sustain and strengthen Arizona’s economy. All Arizonans will benefit from these efforts. 

For 55 years, the Arizona Municipal Water Users Association has worked to protect our member cities' ability to provide assured, safe, and sustainable water supplies to their communities. For more water information, visit www.amwua.org .