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ARIZONA n the arid Arizona desert, water is life. On a larger scale, that same statement rings true regarding the Colorado River in the Southwest. Many of our popular Southwestern lifestyles are enhanced by, or directly related to, the facilities constructed by our forefathers, in concert with the federal government's Bureau of Reclamation, that tap into the Colorado River resource. Without the foresight shown by Arizona's early leaders and the construction of major water storage and delivery systems on the Colorado River by the bureau, much of Arizona would still be a barren desert. The history of Colorado River development in Arizona is laced with colorful and landmark challenges as the state struggled to secure its water resources for API _-- - I the future. Of the seven states in the Colorado River Basin, Arizona was the last to accept "the law of the river." The state's tenacity was manifested in the Arizona Legislature's withholding ratification of the 1922 Colorado River Compact until February 1944• With that finally accomplished, state officials believed Arizona could count on the full use of an annual entitlement of 2.8 million acre-feet of mainstream Colorado River water. Plans for that water eventually moved forward, including construction of the Central Arizona Project (CAP) by the Bureau of Reclamation, to carry water hundreds of miles inland from the Colorado River. Originally, CAP water taken from Lake Havasu was to serve the state's agricultural centers in Maricopa and Pinal counties. Users such as the Maricopa- Stanfield Irrigation and Drainage District continue to benefit from CAP. Later, that focus shifted to include municipal, industrial and Native American needs. Arizona's role in the debate regarding Colorado River issues has been crucial in resolving many of the problems. Even with the reluctance to approve the compact, Arizona compelled discussion about Colorado River allocations and assurance of supply. The landmark case, Arizona vs. California, provided more supply certainty and sustained the "law of the river" as a workable cornerstone in finding solutions to problems of the river. While Arizona has not been afraid to meet anyone on the courthouse steps, the state's history with Colorado River issues suggests that negotiation and cooperative solutions have been the most productive methods. Arizona's refusal to ratify "the Colorado River Compact was largely the result of a one-man campaign by Fred T. Colter," Rich Johnson wrote in his book, "The Central Arizona Project 1918-1968." "... Colter fought to preserve a fiction that the Colorado was Arizona's private water hole in spite of its status as an interstate stream." Colter was far from alone in his views. Indeed, the people of Arizona were split almost down the middle over ratification of the compact, which Colter succeeded in defeating by a single vote as a member of the Arizona Senate in February 1923. Thereafter, "Save the Colorado for Arizona" became a slogan for many politicians, chief among them, George W.P. Hunt, the state's governor for eight terms. With Hunt's encouragement, Colter filed for appropriations of water from the Colorado River system for 40 irrigation and hydroelectric generation projects within Arizona. The projects, Colter said, would irrigate 6 million acres of desert in Arizona and would provide up to S million horsepower of electricity that Arizona could sell THE CENTRAL ARIZONA PROJECT CANAL CARRIES COLORADO RIVER WATER AS IT CARVES THROUGH THE DESERT AND INTO THE HORIZON NORTHWEST OF PHOENIX.