Water fight tied directly to Arizona’s growth

Gov. Doug Ducey’s office is pushing a series of controversial proposals to overhaul state water management. One reason is to assure investors that Arizona has enough water for future economic development.

But water agencies are warring over how to make sure there’s enough water for long-term growth, and whether that means saying “no” to some short-term uses.

At issue is what one official calls the Colorado River’s “last supply.” That’s river water that no user with contracts to buy it — meaning cities, tribes, tribes and private water companies — wants in a given year.

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