The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation held a celebration to mark the complete enactment of the Arizona Water Settlement Act in Chandler earlier today.
The Arizona Water Settlement Act, which was authored by Senator Kyl, reallocated Central Arizona Project water for the benefit of Arizona cities, towns, farmers & Indian tribes & settled the water rights claims of the Gila River Indian Community & the Tohono O'odham Nation. It also resolved a longstanding dispute between the state of Arizona and the federal government over nearly $2 billion in repayments for construction of the Central Arizona Project.
Although it was signed into law by President Bush in December 2004, certain conditions had to be met in order for the law to become fully effective, including a requirement that the underlying settlements be approved by various courts in Arizona. All of the necessary conditions have now been met, and the law is completely effective.