A Yuma desalting plant would be restored under federal legislation introduced by Congressman Andy Biggs of Arizona, Republican state government leaders said late last week.
The GOP Arizona State Legislators announced their support for the bill they said would authorize $19 billion to increase the water supply for people living in the Colorado River basin.
Republicans say the bill, the Colorado River Basin Water Security and Infrastructure Act, would develop additional water.
One way the bill would help is to direct the U.S. Department of the Interior to restore the Yuma Desalting Plant within 180 days and authorize $1 billion for the project.
The plant would allow treated agricultural drainage water to reduce the amount of Colorado River water that must be delivered from the U.S., Republican leaders said.
In a released statement, Arizona House Speaker Steve Montenegro said “Congressman Biggs has put forward a serious proposal that addresses the problem Arizona should have started preparing for years ago: we need more water.”
Biggs is running to be the next governor of Arizona against Gov. Katie Hobbs. Republican legislators say the bill would create a $4 billion Colorado River Basin Water Augmentation Program.
Overall, Arizona Republicans said the bill would provide additional water sources as the state could see reduced Colorado River water deliveries.
In a released statement to KAWC, Copper State Victory spokesperson Nicholas Simões Machado said “Arizona’s water future is too important for election-year posturing from a failed Washington politician who had years to deliver and has nothing to show for it. The Biggs-Kerr ticket has fought to protect a Saudi Arabian corporation that was pumping Arizona’s groundwater unchecked and supports allowing bad-actor developers to undermine Arizona’s water protections, threatening existing homeowners with their taps going dry.”
Copper State Victory says they are "a project of the Navajo County Democratic Committee, focused on re-electing Gov. Hobbs, Secretary (of State Adrian) Fontes and Attorney General (Kris) Mayes, winning legislative races and electing Democrats up and down the ballot."
