Western Governors’ Association Issues Policy Statement on Water Management in the West
At its June 2015 Annual Meeting in Lake Tahoe, NV, the Western Governors’ Association endorsed Policy Resolution 15-08 regarding water management in the West (LINK).
The policy statement recognizes water as a crucial resource in maintaining and improving quality of life in the West and outlines several policy initiatives to improve data and information about water resources and assist in funding water and wastewater infrastructure.
The resolution follows on the heels of the Western Governors’ Drought Forum, an initiative of outgoing WGA Chair, Governor Brian Sandoval of Nevada. The Drought Forum was established to generate a regional dialogue for policymakers and industry experts to share information and data on best practices on drought policy, preparedness and management of water resources.
The Lake Tahoe resolution identifies several areas in which western states and the federal government should work cooperatively to promote water resource management and fund critical infrastructure. These include:
- State Primacy in Water Management to recognize state authority in water management and coordinate state and federal efforts on listing water-dependent species under the Endangered Species Act;
- Encouraging Federal Support for Infrastructure Investment These initiatives include direct federal assistance; considering tools to promote infrastructure investment and reducing financing costs; examining new hydropower projects; and streamlined permitting of infrastructure projects;
- Encouraging Innovative and Integrated Water Management among state, federal, tribal and local partners;
- Improve Collection and Access to Reliable Water Resource Information Sound water management requires timely, accurate and accessible information and data. WGA support federal efforts to coordinate water data collection and information programs across agencies;
- Encourage Drought Preparedness and Response by sharing best management practices across multiple disciplines affecting watersheds and water use.
As every Arizonan should know and realize, we live in an arid region of the country. Although our policymakers have long recognized the need for managing this most precious resource and have taken necessary steps over decades to ensure a safe and adequate supply of water in the short-and-medium term -- the long-term may be problematic. If the West’s prolonged drought continues for another decade, temperatures continue to rise as they have recently, and Arizona’s access to Colorado River water is diminished, we will need to find new solutions.
WGA’s examination of water in the West is notable, because it looks at water as a regional issue.
While we can’t predict what water wars might potentially erupt on the horizon among the western states as water becomes scarcer, at least WGA provides an opportunity for our state leaders, water experts and industry executives to share information and work together on what might be the most important and critical issue. The recent WGA policy resolution moves us in this direction.