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Phoenix council authorizes staff to negotiate ‘Secure Water Arizona’ mutual‑aid agreements
Summary
The City Council heard a detailed update on the Colorado River, Phoenix’s water portfolio and backup supplies and voted 8‑0 to let staff negotiate mutual‑aid and transactional agreements that would form the Secure Water Arizona (SWAP) program and return the agreements to council for approval.
Phoenix — The City Council on April 28 received a comprehensive briefing on Colorado River conditions and Phoenix’s water preparedness and unanimously authorized staff to negotiate mutual‑aid and transactional agreements to establish the Secure Water Arizona (SWAP) program.
The presentation, led by Brandy Kelso, Phoenix’s Water Services Director, and Dr. Max Wilson, the city’s water resources manager, laid out reservoir and supply risks tied to historic low Colorado River flows and described how Phoenix plans to use renewable backup supplies, stored groundwater and large infrastructure projects to manage cuts.
Why it matters: Dr. Max Wilson told council "the Colorado River is in crisis," warning that multi‑decadal low flows have left Lake Powell and Lake Mead at critically low levels and that, unless basin states agree on new operating rules, the Bureau of Reclamation could act unilaterally to allocate shortages. He told council the draft Bureau of Reclamation environmental impact statement indicates mandatory cuts would fall on lower‑basin users unless legal and negotiating outcomes change.
The city’s case: Brandy Kelso said Phoenix’s portfolio is diversified: "About 40% of our drinking water supply comes from the Colorado River," she said, and described five preparedness steps — conservation programs, renewable surface‑water projects, underground storage, infrastructure to move supplies and department‑level drought plans. Kelso said Phoenix currently has 675,000 acre‑feet stored underground — "approximately 4 years' worth of water supply" for customers primarily served by Colorado River allocations.
Planned projects and resources: Staff detailed existing and planned projects intended to increase local and renewable supplies, including upgrades to capture floodwaters on the Salt and Verde systems, the Pure Water Phoenix advanced purification program (three facilities expected to deliver about 50,000 acre‑feet per year when completed, with potential build‑out near 75,000 acre‑feet), a $179 million Bureau of Reclamation grant for the North Gateway facility, and a previously authorized $300 million drought pipeline to move supplies within the system.
The SWAP proposal: Dr. Wilson described the Secure Water Arizona program as a voluntary, opt‑in set of tools co‑developed with Tucson that includes an emergency reserve, a reduction‑offset program and a "water sharing sandbox" for pilot projects. "The swap does not allow for any forced reallocations of water," he said; instead, it seeks transactions among "willing buyers and willing sellers" to provide reciprocal protection and reduce immediate economic impacts.
Council discussion: Councilmembers pressed staff on assumptions, timeline and likely federal actions. Councilman Waring asked whether the Bureau of Reclamation has multiple plan alternatives and who will ultimately decide; staff named Acting Commissioner Scott Cameron and the Department of the Interior leadership as ultimate decision points and said unilateral federal action is possible this summer. Councilwoman O'Brien asked about industries omitted from the Bureau’s draft analysis; city staff and economic‑development staff cited advanced manufacturing and semiconductors (including TSMC), aerospace/defense and technology as locally important sectors tied to Colorado River supplies.
Motion and vote: Vice Mayor Keisha Hodge Washington moved to authorize staff to negotiate the mutual‑aid and transactional agreements and return the finalized agreements to council for approval; the motion carried 8‑0 on roll call.
What the authorization does and next steps: The authorization allows city staff to develop model agreements — emergency reserve pledges, transactional terms and mutual‑aid processes — and bring those draft agreements to council for review and decision. Staff said any agreements would be voluntary and would be brought back for formal council approval before execution.
Public comment and context: A member of the public read a statement on behalf of Councilwoman Hernandez emphasizing tribal sovereignty, asking that tribal nations be centered in regional discussions and urging revisiting large‑water‑user policies. Councilmembers repeatedly emphasized Phoenix’s conservation record and urged residents to engage with federal leaders on behalf of Arizona.
The council adjourned after the vote. The city staff presentation and staff’s request to negotiate SWAP agreements mark the next step before council consideration of specific transactional or mutual‑aid contracts and any implementing ordinances.
