The Central Arizona Water Conservation District Board (CAWCD) met Thursday, Sept. 4 at CAP’s north Phoenix headquarters. The meeting kicked off with the presentation of the CAP Award for Water Research. For more than two decades, CAP has been presenting this award, recognizing excellence in graduate and undergraduate water research. The five-person judging panel consists of two representatives from municipalities in the CAP service area, one from an in-state university, one CAP staff representative and one CAWCD Board member. The winners were:

• 1^st place ($3,500) – Swastik Ghimire, an ASU graduate student, majoring in civil, environmental and sustainable engineering. His paper was titled “Relative Roles of Fall Soil Moisture and Spring Weather on the Relationship between Snow and Streamflow in the Colorado River Basin.”
• 2^nd place ($2,000) – Mohamed Farmani, a UA graduate student, majoring in hydrology and atmospheric sciences. His paper was titled “Improving Streamflow Projections in the Arid Southwestern United States through Understanding of Baseflow Generation Mechanisms.”

The Board approved edits to the Water Quality Guidance Document, intended for projects that propose to introduce Non-Project Water (non-Colorado River water) directly into the CAP canal. This revised version satisfies the requirement to establish uniform water quality standards under CAP’s System Use Agreement and will allow for the re-initiation of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) for wheeling projects.

After a report from the Finance, Audit and Power Committee, the Board approved Energy Sales Agreements with Capital Power and with Tucson Electric Power. Together, these contracts will provide 30% of the energy needed in 2026, while also offering energy security and price stability to the CAP portfolio.

Following a report from the CAGRD and Underground Storage Committee, the Board approved:  

• Modifications to the CAGRD 2025 Plan of Operation. The passage of S.B. 1611, commonly referred to as Ag-to-Urban, has implications for CAGRD’s enrollment and obligation projections and its Replenishment Reserve Target calculations. The Arizona Department of Water Resources requested these impacts be incorporated into the Plan and also requested additional information on the potentially available supplies identified in this Plan.
• Revised standard-form Member Service Area agreements for water providers obtaining a Designation through the Alternate Path to Designation of Assured Water Supply in the Pinal Active Management Area.

On consent, the Board passed:

• Amended Resolution regarding the use of Water Storage Tax for the 2024/2025 tax year to make funds available for Arizona Water Banking Authority for purchase of long-term storage credits

The Board received updates on a number of items, including:

• Water Infrastructure Finance Authority of Arizona, Chelsea McGuire, WIFA director
• Water Operations
• Colorado River Conditions

The CAWCD Board of Directors is a popularly elected 15-member board. Ten members are from Maricopa County, four from Pima County and one from Pinal County. Members serve six-year, unpaid terms. The board typically meets publicly the first Thursday of each month to establish policy and set rates and taxes for CAP. Meetings are open to the public – in person and via livestream.

For additional details on the Sept. 4, 2025 board meeting, take a look at the agenda. Board minutes and video will be posted here, as well.