A bill, sponsored by Arizona State Senator Sine Kerr and signed by Governor Katie Hobbs, has made Arizona’s 22 tribal nations eligible to participate in critical water conservation projects through a grant program established in last year’s historic legislation that invested more than $1 billion towards Arizona’s water future.
While the bill, SB 1390, makes only technical changes to last year’s legislation, one of those modifications clears up an error preventing Arizona’s tribal communities from competing for the necessary dollars available within the Water Conservation Grant Fund, administered by the Water Infrastructure Finance Authority (WIFA), to allow for a variety of water-saving efforts benefiting the entire state. The bill also provides eligibility to private water utilities serving rural communities where a public provider is unable to serve.
SB 1390 aligns the definition of eligible entities across all funds, allowing WIFA to remain a ‘one-stop shop’ in assisting both private and municipal water providers as they enact water conservation projects. This allows the state investment in western conservation to reach more Arizona residents.
“Water is life, and we need to be as efficient and responsible as we can be with this valuable resource,” said Kerr. “While it was always our plan for tribal nations to be a part of this crucial $200 million conservation program, the original bill’s language did not reflect that eligibility. I’m thrilled tribes and private water systems will now be able to submit their ideas for consideration and can be approved for this funding, so that all water users, regardless of where they’re located or who their water providers are, can benefit from a more robust water supply for decades to come.”
“WIFA is better positioned to invest in meaningful water conservation because of the legislature’s strong bipartisan support of SB 1390,” said WIFA Board Chairman David Beckham. “This bill expands WIFA’s ability to support conservation efforts throughout the state, including by tribes, by opening the door to even more innovative ways to conserve Arizona’s precious water resources. Thank you to Senator Kerr for her leadership and support of this critical water security legislation.”