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~ ..... ~ ,,., o . . i . . . . . . . . GOVERNOR'S CENTRAL ARIZONA PROJECT ADVISORY COMMITTEE Policv Issue: To what extent is the original purpose of the CAP as a replacement supply for irrigation still justified? Irrigated agriculture is the largest user of groundwater in the Central Arizona Project service area. One of the Project's primary purposes was to supply water to the agricultural sector. Since no new land is allowed to be put into agricultural production using either groundwater or CAP water, CAP water is intended to be a substitute or a "rescue" supply for agriculture, which will allow it to be a sustainable industry in our state. If agriculture cannot utilize CAP water because the cost is too high, it will remain on groundwater. This will eventually deplete the state's groundwater supplies within central and southern Arizona. Kev Considerations: . Financial assistance to agricultural irrigation districts through lower CAP costs and restructured distribution system debt should be provided but only to the extent there are benefits to the state, including the state's environment, and CAWCD's other customers. Policv Issue: In considering a reformatted CAP, should proposals to allocate and use CAP water for environmental enhancement (not mitigation) purposes be considered? Fish and wildlife and recreational benefits are authorized purposes of the CAP. However, no specific enhancement features were constructed nor were any specific water allocations made for these purposes. Mitigation of environmental impacts from both construction and project operation is required and is funded as a part of the Project. Additional opportunities may exist to use CAP water to create enhancement features if water allocations are made available. Kev Considerations: · Consideration should be given to allocating some amount of CAP water for environmental purposes and to establishing an environmental trust fund dedicated FINAL REPORT AND RECOMMENDA TIONS 23