On Tuesday, Arizona Governor Doug Ducey and Sonora, Mexico Governor Claudia Pavlovich signed an agreement intended to secure the neighboring states’ water future. The governor’s hope the agreement will also expand collaboration to monitor air quality.
The agreement is the result of extensive negotiations between representatives of Arizona and Sonora serving on the Arizona-Mexico Commission (AMC), a cross-border non-profit organization aimed at strengthening the relationship between the neighboring states.
The agreement, embodied in a Memorandum of Understanding, includes studying opportunities for desalination, the process to remove salt and other minerals from water so it can be made drinkable.
Governor Pavlovich, the first woman to serve as the leader of Sonora, echoed those sentiments.
During Tuesday’s meeting, the governors also met with members of the AMC and its 16 binational committees to discuss innovative measures to tackle issues facing the region and upcoming projects.