Lifelong Buckeye resident and its former Mayor, our own Jackie Meck was our speaker on November 29.  The mayor gave an excellent presentation on water in our region and state and brought us some clarity on the issues we face, the fact that they are not new, but we must plan now for several decades from now in order to continue to have adequate supplies of water.
 
Arizona passed the groundwater management act in 1980 which governed the use of water in the state, including the requirement that developers prove a 100-year water supply before being allowed to build in the five active management areas (Phoenix, Pinal, Tucson, Santa Cruz and Prescott). At the time this was the longest water supply requirement of any state.  The goal was to get the active management areas to wean themselves from pumping groundwater.
 
Water law provides that the rights to water under the land belongs to the owner of the overlying land.  This has led to cities purchasing land in remote areas of the state underlying aquifers in order the acquire water to supply the growing cities.  The mayor gave several examples where the depth of the water table has dropped considerably over the last few decades, especially in areas outside an Active Management Area.  This increases the cost of drilling wells and lifting water to the surface.
 
Mayor Meck mentioned that it was generally acknowledged that the Colorado River was being overdrawn for the past 2 or more decades, but the will to start to make changes didn’t appear until it became a crisis.  Today the discussions center around cutting back on deliveries based on the 1922 agreement, but also seeking to update the agreement to reflect changes over the last 100 years. 
 
In turning to the situation in Buckeye, Mayor Meck told us that there are two kinds of water:  Wet water and no water.  He mentioned that Buckeye has considerable water available at a depth which is fairly shallow in and around the Gila River, but that water has excess salt.  While it can and ultimately will be used for domestic purposes, it will be costly to treat.  Mayor Meck also mentioned that there are studies underway to make more efficient use of treated effluent, desalination of sea water and transport to Arizona and continued water banking for future use.  He pointed out that 70% of water in Arizona is used by agriculture.  Interestingly, since 1957, our state population has grown 500%, GDP has grown from $13.4 billion to over $240 billion, Arizona’s total water use has actually declined. 
 
The mayor concluded with optimism about Arizona and about Buckeye but urged us to continue to be informed and knowledgeable about the water conversation.  Once again, we were reminded that some of our best programs come from our own members.  Thank you, Mayor Meck.