Editor’s note: We are often asked if CAP is a federal agency – and it is not. However, we do manage a federal facility and are connected to the Bureau of Reclamation (Reclamation) in many ways, and this is an explanation of some of the ways we are linked.
The U.S. government constructed Central Arizona Project during a span of 20 years (1973-1993) at a cost of more than $4 billion – which in 2023 translates to $8.4 billion. The agreement from the beginning was that Arizona would repay the government for certain costs of construction. In 1971, the Central Arizona Water Conservation District (CAWCD) was created to facilitate that repayment, as well as to manage and operate the physical system.
However, when the system was declared substantially complete in 1993 and CAWCD began repayment, that did not sever the relationship between CAP and the federal government. In fact, the two are linked for life, creating an ongoing collaborative relationship in several areas.
Water
Water in Arizona is complicated, and Colorado River water is no exception. Its division, distribution, and management are determined by the Law of the River. This refers not just to one law, but a compendium of sorts that includes compacts, treaties, federal laws, court decisions, a decree, contracts, agreements and regulatory guidelines.
A review of the Law of the River traces how we got to where we are now related to how the Colorado River system is managed, serves as the basis for current discussions, and points us to where we’re going in the Colorado River Basin.
Ultimately, the amount of water that CAP receives each year is determined by many pieces that make up the Law of the River.
CAP has a direct responsibility to act on behalf of Reclamation to fulfill its responsibility as a trustee to Arizona tribes with CAP water. CAP operates the system and delivers water in accordance with tribal settlements and contracts that individual tribes hold with the federal government. CAP’s reliable, cost-effective delivery of these water supplies is an important component of how the United States meets its trust responsibility to Arizona tribes.
Money
Money may be one of the most obvious ways CAP and the federal government are linked. First and foremost, there is the repayment obligation, which is $1.646 billion. Payments started in 1994, are $55-59 million a year, and are scheduled to be complete in 2045.
In addition, the Department of the Treasury maintains the Lower Colorado River Basin Development Fund. The fund allows for the collection of revenues from the sale of surplus power to provide for CAP operations and maintenance, and to aid in the repayment of CAP.
Land
The CAP system was built on a combination of federal, tribal, state, and private land, none of which was owned by CAWCD. Even after repayment is complete, CAWCD will not own any of those lands. However, CAP’s Land and Survey Department is responsible for administering those federal lands. They review all requests submitted for uses including cell towers, bridges, development of the CAP trail, crossings and more. All land decisions made by CAP must abide by specific directives that are mandated by Reclamation.
In the years since the system was constructed, CAWCD has purchased some property adjacent to the canal or in supplement to the canal and used it for things such as recharge projects and maintenance yards.
Infrastructure
Reclamation develops an annual Work Plan and submits it to CAP for review. The plan outlines specific areas Reclamation will examine, and activities it will perform related to contract administration, engineering, land management, recreation and environmental concerns. This high-level oversight can include inspection of facilities, updates to documentation, review of contracts and more.
In addition to the Work Plan, Reclamation also inspects New Waddell Dam and Reach 11. These inspections are part of its Safety of Dams Program, designed to monitor, examine and evaluate the performance of dams in its inventory to ensure they do not present unreasonable risks to the public, property or the environment.
So, although CAP is a local government – a municipal corporation organized under state law – we manage a federal project, built and owned by the federal government and we will continue to perform this critical work for all Arizonans.
