Arizona’s Senate president suggests desalination should be a part of ongoing Colorado River negotiations.
Arizona is one of seven basin states negotiating how much water they’ll be able to use going forward.
Senate President Warren Petersen (R-Gilbert) said in recent talks with officials at the Department of the Interior, he requested federal support with infrastructure projects as part of the negotiations.
Petersen said putting some money into a desalination plant in California in exchange for more river water to Arizona could be a good deal.
“Let's say there's some dollars provided for infrastructure for them, and then they - they take off less from the Colorado, and then there's a larger water allocation,” he said.
Petersen said in a newsletter on Monday that Arizona’s relationship with the federal government “has never been stronger.”
“I am confident that the Trump Administration will work with the states to strike a deal that ensures our future water security,” he wrote.
Desalination isn’t the only infrastructure project Petersen brought up. He also mentioned the utility of lining Arizona’s canals to avoid water loss from evaporation and soaking into the ground.
Arizona Department of Water Resources Director Tom Buschatzke says he’s not in desalination talks with California, but he’s co-leading a workgroup with Mexico.
“I have advocated to both the past and current administration that infrastructure projects are necessary to deliver a collaborative post 2026 outcome among the seven states but also with building support with the stakeholders in the state of Arizona," Buschatzke said.
Desalination in Mexico is also something Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs brought up recently - outside the context of the Colorado River.
In 2022, desalination was a hot topic under the leadership of former Gov. Doug Ducey. The Legislature at that time worked with Ducey to set aside $1 billion for water augmentation.
However, in 2023 and 2024, Hobbs clawed back most of that funding.
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