45-2401. Declaration of policy and purpose

A. The legislature finds that this state is currently and temporarily underutilizing both the entitlement to Colorado river water confirmed to it by the United States supreme court in Arizona v. California, 373 U.S. 546 (1963), and the central Arizona project, which has the capacity to divert into this state a significant portion of this state's entitlement to Colorado river water. The legislature further finds that, due to the low priority on the Colorado river of the central Arizona project and other Arizona Colorado river water users, the susceptibility of this state to future shortages of water on the Colorado river is a threat to the general economy and welfare of this state and its citizens.

B. The legislature further finds that water users within the central Arizona project service area also rely on other surface water supplies, that these supplies are susceptible to future shortages of water and that these shortages are a threat to the general economy and welfare of this state and its citizens.

C. The legislature further finds that future water needs in the states of California and Nevada could exceed the entitlements of those states to Colorado river water. Those future water needs could thereby affect the general economy and welfare of this state and its citizens because of the close economic ties among Arizona, California and Nevada.

D. The legislature further finds that Arizona water users could more efficiently manage, distribute and use available water resources through the storage of water supplies and through stored water lending arrangements, but that not all of these Arizona water users have the opportunities or resources needed to store water or enter into stored water lending arrangements.

E. The legislature further finds that for the purposes of this chapter diverting Colorado river water for storage off of the Colorado river system is a consumptive use of that water.

F. The legislature further finds that water banking is complimentary and compatible with existing water management efforts. The Arizona water banking authority will compliment and assist the activities of the central Arizona water conservation district in its mission to provide a dependable and cost-effective water supply.

G. The legislature therefore finds that it is in the best interest of the general economy and welfare of this state and its citizens to:

1. Use the central Arizona project to store otherwise unused Arizona entitlement to Colorado river water within this state to meet future water needs within this state.

2. Provide the opportunity to the states of California and Nevada to store currently unused Colorado river water in Arizona to meet future needs in those states.

3. Provide the opportunity to facilitate the storage of water and stored water lending arrangements by entities in Arizona that may not have the opportunities or resources needed to store water.

4. Provide the opportunity to facilitate the settlement of Indian water rights claims by delivering and storing water.

H. The public policy and general purposes of this chapter are to:

1. Increase utilization of Arizona's Colorado river entitlement that was confirmed to Arizona by the United States supreme court in article ii(b)(1), (2) and (6) of the decree entered at Arizona v. California, 376 U.S. 340 (1964), and that would otherwise be unused in Arizona, by delivering that water into this state through the central Arizona project aqueducts.

2. Store water brought into this state through the central Arizona project to protect Arizona municipal and industrial water users against future water shortages on the Colorado river and disruptions of operation of the central Arizona project.

3. Store water brought into this state through the central Arizona project to fulfill the water management objectives of this state set forth in chapter 2 of this title.

4. Provide the opportunity for storing water brought into this state through the central Arizona project to be available to implement the settlement of water right claims by Indian communities within Arizona.

5. Provide the opportunity to authorized agencies in the states of California and Nevada to store otherwise unused Colorado river water in Arizona to assist those states in meeting future water needs.

6. Provide the opportunity to facilitate the storage of water and stored water lending arrangements by entities in Arizona that may not have the opportunities or resources needed to store water.