ArizonaWaterPolicy

Arizona Water Policy
Management Innovations in an Urbanizing, Arid Region
Bonnie G. Colby and Katharine L. Jacobs, Editors


"Arizona Water Policy is a brilliant introduction to water conflicts, politics and economics in a desert state renowned for little water and much innovation. This book has important lessons for coping with looming water shortages in virtually every river basin and nation worldwide." --Bruce Babbitt, Secretary of the Interior (1993 - 2001), Governor of Arizona (1978 - 1987).

"A very informative and valuable work. Those interested in the complexity of issues in arid regions will find a wealth of information." --David S. Brookshire, University of New Mexico

"One of the most important lessons to emerge from the history related here is the ultimate importance of institutions and institutional arrangements in managing water resources. This lesson illustrates how the effectiveness of institutions outweighs in importance technological innovations in managing water scarcity." --from the Foreword by Henry Vaux, Jr.

Table of Contents		Cloth / 65.00 ISBN 1-933115-34-3 Paper / $39.95 ISBN 1-933115-35-1

The central challenge encountered by Arizona and many other arid regions in the world is keeping a sustainable water supply in the face of rapid population growth and other competing demands. This book highlights new approaches that Arizona has pioneered for managing its water needs. The state has burgeoning urban areas, large agricultural regions, water-dependent habitats for endangered fish and wildlife, and a growing demand for water-based recreation. A multi-year drought and climate-related variability in water supply complicate the intense competition for water. Written by well-known Arizona water experts, the essays in the book address these issues from academic, professional, and policy perspectives that include economics, climatology, law, and engineering. Among the innovations explored in the book is Arizona's Groundwater Management Act. Arizona is not alone in its challenges. As one of the seven states in the Colorado River Basin that depend heavily on the river, Arizona must cooperate, and sometimes compete, with other state, tribal, and federal governments. One institution that furthers regional cooperation is the water bank, which encourages groundwater recharge of surplus surface water during wet years so that the water remains available during dry years. The Groundwater Management Act imposes conservation requirements and establishes planning and investment programs in renewable water supplies. The essays in Arizona Water Policy are carefully edited so they are accessible for a broad policy-oriented and nonacademic readership. The book explores Arizona?s water management and extracts lessons that are important for arid and semi-arid areas worldwide.

Editor Bios

Bonnie G. Colby is Professor of Agricultural and Resource Economics and Hydrology and Water Resources at the University of Arizona; specializing in the economics of water right negotiations and transactions, dry-year reliability and water policy. Katharine L. Jacobs is the Executive Director of the Arizona Water Institute, a consortium of Arizona's three universities. She is also Deputy Director of the SAHRA NSF Center at the University of Arizona, and has more than 20 years of experience in water management with the Arizona Department of Water Resources. Her recent research includes the use of scientific information in policy and decision-making.