By David Martin, president, Arizona Chapter of the Associated General Contractors
Arizona’s story of growth and prosperity came through access to a supply of low-cost energy and water that is now at risk. Before World War II, Arizona was a desert outpost — a stopover on the way to California. As the post-war economy blossomed, Arizona remained the rugged West. But a few visionaries who happened to call Arizona home knew this state could be so much more. To make that vision a reality, they needed one thing: Water.
Statesmen like Sens. Carl Hayden and Barry Goldwater, alongside many other state and federal leaders, knew Arizona’s arid climate could draw East Coast and Midwest residents in droves if only there was a way to support their lifestyles. They knew that access to affordable energy and water would drive Arizona’s economic prosperity. So, they embarked on a decades-long effort to build the Central Arizona Project, a system of canals that could deliver Colorado River water to far-flung parts of the state as well as the population hub of Phoenix.
