NEWS RELEASE
Governor Jan Brewer today appointed Michael J. Lacey to serve as the new Director of the Arizona Department of Water Resources (ADWR).
“With three decades of experience in water resource management, Mr. Lacey has been a tremendous asset to the Department and to the state,” said Governor Brewer. “Moreover, his experience in both business and the public sector make him a well-rounded and highly-equipped candidate for this position. Mr. Lacey has done instrumental work for ADWR, and I’m confident will continue to do so as Director.”
Michael Lacey has been the Department’s Deputy Director since 2011, serving as the chief operating officer overseeing the protection and administration of water rights and water supplies. In this role, he spearheaded modifying and improving the efficiency of ADWR’s annual reporting process; developing a third party web portal allowing direct importation of water level data into the database by external parties; chairing the Technical Advisory Committee and reporting to the Legislative Study Committee on Water Salinity; and assisting in the preparation and finalization of the Strategic Vision report detailing the state’s plan for long-term water supply sustainability.
Before joining ADWR, Mr. Lacey was a business owner and consulting hydrologist for 22 years (1989-2011), assisting private and public sector clients comply with ADWR’s regulatory programs. He also had stints as a Water Resource Specialist for ADWR (1987-1989) and a Hydrologist with the USDA Forest Service’s Rocky Mountain Forest and Range Experiment Station in Tempe (1984-1987). Mr. Lacey has 29 years of executive and technical expertise in water resource management, with specialization in executive administration, project management, hydrology, groundwater recharge and wastewater reuse.
Mr. Lacey received his Master’s degree in Physical Geography from Arizona State University (1987) and has a Bachelor’s degree in Physical Geography from the University of Delaware (1982). His appointment fills the vacancy created by the departure of ADWR Director Sandra Fabritz-Whitney.
