By Jakob Thorington | Arizona Capitol Times
Key Points:
- The Water Infrastructure Finance Authority of Arizona is evaluating six water importation proposals
- Proposals aim to bring in hundreds of billions of gallons of water annually
- WIFA requests renewal of $25 million in annual grants to maintain progress
A state agency dedicated to finding long-term water solutions in Arizona is nearing a decision on six water importation proposals that could bring hundreds of billions of gallons of water annually to the state.
The Water Infrastructure Finance Authority of Arizona is currently soliciting six long-term water proposals from three water partners. The projects include developing new and renewable water supplies in the state from wastewater reclamation, surface water, ocean water and other water sources, according to WIFA.
Ben Alteneder, the agency’s assistant director of external affairs, said WIFA will decide by the end of the year whether any of these six projects should move forward into a “due diligence” phase. He said that under this phase, those projects would be open to public inspection and initiate a robust stakeholder process, allowing the agency to evaluate the feasibility of each proposal.
