The Central Arizona Water Conservation District Board (CAWCD) met on Thursday, Sept. 3 at Central Arizona Project (CAP) headquarters in north Phoenix.

The Board authorized CAWCD to protect and defend its rights should legal action become appropriate in the rapidly developing legal circumstances surrounding Colorado River operations. CAP’s statement can be found here.

The Board also approved an agreement between CAWCD and the Colorado River Indian Tribes for the acquisition of Intentionally Created Surplus. This agreement is for Extraordinary Conservation Intentionally Created Surplus (EC-ICS) credits that were created through fallowing activities at the CRIT farm in 2019-2020. Under this agreement, the Central Arizona Groundwater Replenishment District (CAGRD) will be acquiring the right to take delivery of 9,009 acre-feet of EC-ICS from the CRIT ICS account. If transfer of the ICS proves infeasible, CAWCD and CRIT will execute a lease agreement for an equivalent volume of water on the same terms. Through this agreement, CAWCD and CRIT are also committing to seek additional opportunities to collaborate on mutually beneficial water governance and management partnerships.

On the consent agenda, the Board also approved an Intergovernmental Agreement between the City of Peoria and Town of Cave Creek for the recovery of effluent and exchange of Central Arizona Project water. The Agreement allows Cave Creek to assign to Peoria long-term storage credits (LSTCs) owned by Cave Creek for an equal amount of Peoria’s LTSCs stored at the Beardsley Road Water Reclamation Recharge Facility.

In addition, the Board heard presentations on:        

• Report on the Post-2026 Record of Decision and the 2027–2028 Operating Guidelines
• 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. 3, 2026 board meeting, take a look at the agenda and summary of actions. Board minutes and video will be posted here, as well.