AMWUA Blog
Non-Vetted Water Bills Threaten More Than DCP
Arizona demonstrated last month it could protect its Colorado River water and maintain control of its future, when the Governor signed legislation approving the State’s participation in the Lower Basin Drought Contingency Plan (DCP). Now, state legislators have introduced more than two dozen bills dealing with water, revealing that Arizona has two fundamentally different ways of tackling important...
Feb 11 2019
50 Years of AMWUA: Longest Serving Executive Director Built Modern, Productive OrganizationWhen the mayors of the Cities of Phoenix, Scottsdale, Mesa, Tempe and Glendale formed the Arizona Municipal Water Users Association in 1969, AMWUA’s staff consisted solely of the Association’s attorney. The group met in the attorney’s office or a nearby building. Then things changed in 1980 when the legislature passed the Arizona Groundwater Management Act, which required cities to move away from...
Feb 04 2019
DCP: Milestone for Arizona But Now What?Arizona took an important step on January 31 to protect its Colorado River water and maintain control of its future when the Governor signed legislation approving the State’s participation in the Lower Basin Drought Contingency Plan (DCP). In doing so, Arizona proved to itself and fellow Colorado River basin states, that it still has what it takes to hammer out a hard-fought compromise that ultima...
Jan 28 2019
AMWUA Mayors Urge Legislature to Approve DCPThe Legislature needs to pass the Lower Basin Drought Contingency Plan (Senate Joint Resolution 1001). They must take action to make sure this happens by January 31st, the deadline imposed by the Federal Government for when it will step in and decide how to protect the Colorado River....
Jan 21 2019
Why Do We Not Have Water Restrictions?Q: Why aren’t there water restrictions in place? We’re in a desert, we’re in drought, and we are facing shortages of Colorado River water. Shouldn’t we be using less?...
Jan 14 2019
DCP: The Time Is NowThe most pressing issue facing Arizona as this 2019 legislative session begins is adoption of the Lower Basin Drought Contingency Plan (DCP). It is crucial that our elected officials take swift action to protect our Colorado River supply and economy by approving the carefully-crafted DCP Implementation Plan, which is supported by an overwhelming majority of stakeholders. Our state needs the certai...
Jan 07 2019
5 Tips: Caring For Your Desert Yard In The WinterIt’s patio season in the desert and it doesn’t take much to put your winter yard in top form and ready for winter guests. Here are five tips from our cities’ conservation professionals for maintaining a desert-adapted yard during the winter months so it will its best all year....
Dec 31 2018
50 Years of AMWUA: Collaboration On Water Creates Urban SuccessIn an arid state, cooperation on water is not always easy to achieve. That’s why the cities in the Phoenix Metro area are proud that we’ve been working together on water issues for five decades. ...
Dec 24 2018
No Fish Tale: Avondale Tilapia Farm Saves The City MoneyThe City of Avondale’s Water Department raised 2,800 fish this summer with help from Blue and Stripe, the most prolific couple in the city’s tilapia breeding colony. The tilapia help clear algae from the 21 connected lakes that are part of a 72-acre wetlands project within Avondale’s Crystal Garden residential development. By breeding its own tilapia, the city has cut the cost of stocking the fish...
Dec 17 2018
Purified Recycled Water: City of Scottsdale Innovation Turns 20The City of Scottsdale operates a water treatment plant that converts raw sewage from the city’s homes and businesses into purified water in less than 12 hours. The Advanced Water Treatment Plant at the Scottsdale Water Campus has been recognized internationally as one of the world’s most innovative water purification projects. Scottsdale built the Advanced Water Treatment Plant to accommodate gro...