Jon Kyl: “the water users and providers of Arizona have waited a long time for this day. The Arizona Water Settlements Act, S.…”

“the water users and providers of Arizona have waited a long time for this day. The Arizona Water Settlements Act, S. 437, is the product of 15 years of negotiation, litigation, and more negotiation. Virtually every major water user and provider in central Arizona has devoted itself to the passage of this bill. In fact, S. 437 would codify the largest water claims settlement in the history of Arizona. The three titles in this bill represent the tremendous efforts of literally hundreds of people in Arizona and here in Washington over a period of 15 years. Looking ahead, this bill could ultimately be nearly as important to Arizona's future as was the authorization of the Central Arizona Project, CAP, itself. Since Arizona began receiving CAP water from the Colorado River, litigation has divided water users over how the CAP water should be allocated and exactly how much Arizona was required to repay the Federal Government. This bill will, among other things, codify the settlement reached between the United States and the Central Arizona Water Conservation District over the State's repayment obligation for costs incurred by the United States in constructing the Central Arizona Project. It will also resolve, once and for all, the allocation of all remaining CAP water. This final allocation will provide the stability necessary for State water authorities to plan for Arizona's future water needs.”