Arizona’s Water Future Hinges on Key Desalination Vote
Arizona is on the brink of a significant decision regarding its water resources, as state water officials are set to vote on Wednesday about whether to advance with desalination projects. The Water Infrastructure Finance Authority (WIFA) is reviewing several proposals aimed at enhancing the state’s water supply, with two out of five projects focusing on desalination.
Recently, the Long-Term Water Augmentation Committee held private meetings to evaluate these proposals, providing confidential advice to the WIFA board about potential projects. Ted Cooke, a WIFA board member, expressed enthusiasm about the upcoming vote, stating, “I’m very, very hopeful that the board will decide to move forward on at least some of the projects that were recommended, and I think this is about as far along – if this happens – this is as far along as Arizona has been.”
Should the board decide to proceed with any of these initiatives, Arizona could see a permanent increase in its water supply. WIFA, established in 2022, was created to explore water augmentation options. Originally promised $1 billion over three years under former Gov. Doug Ducey, the agency has seen most of this funding retracted by Gov. Katie Hobbs’ administration.
WIFA leaders have urged the current administration to reconsider this funding decision, emphasizing the importance of financial support for successful project execution. In 2022, Gov. Ducey showed interest in a desalination plant in Mexico’s Sea of Cortez, engaging with the Israeli company IDE. This initiative raised concerns among lawmakers about transparency, especially as stakeholders were reportedly asked to sign nondisclosure agreements.
Further complications arose when Sonora, Mexico’s government, opposed working with IDE, criticizing the company for misrepresentative negotiations about the project. Despite these setbacks, Gov. Hobbs maintains that desalination remains a viable option, though she has criticized Ducey’s approach to negotiations with Mexico.
Among the current proposals, the Acciona-Fengate Water Alliance and ZARETAW have submitted desalination projects. Notably, Erez Hoter-Ishay, a former IDE project manager, now presides over ZARETAW. Although IDE Technologies isn’t directly listed as an applicant, a joint letter with ZARETAW to WIFA describes them as a “project team.”
Upon approval, any selected projects will enter a predevelopment phase, during which WIFA will gather more detailed information before finalizing the proposals.
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