Colorado River/CAP Chronological Events

1921 — U. S. Congress authorizes Colorado River compact authorizing the seven river basin states to negotiate an agreement to divide up the water between the states.

1928 — U. S. Congress passes the Boulder Canyon Project Act that allocates a portion of the Colorado River to Nevada, Californiz and Arizona.

1944 — Arizona Legislatures ratifies the Colorado River Compact for 2.8 million acre-feet annually.

1946 — Central Arizona Project (CAP) Association is formed to promote Congressional approval.

1947 — Bill to authorize the CAP(that is, the delivery system) is introduced into Congress.

1956 — Arizona vs California: California continues to disagree about Arizona's allotment in the Colorado River Compact.

1961 — Bureau of Reclamation plan to extend main CAP aqueduct to Tucon and utilize the Charleston Dam on the San Pedro for Tucson's water supply.

1962 — Tucson Water projections for water demand triples between 1963 and 2000.

1963 — Arizona vs. California U. S. Supreme Court decision rules secures legal title of 2.8 af annually for Arizona use.

1965 — Tucson City Council and Chamber of Commerce push to bring CAP to Tucson to sustain their plans for growth.

1967 — Two Arizona hydrologists warned officials that assumptions on agriculture use of CAP water by agriculture was overly optimistic—why would they want to pay for water?

1968 — Congress passed Colorado River Basin Project Act to provide funding for the CAP.

1971 — Central Arizona Water Conservation District (CAWCD) formed for Maricopa, Pima and Pinal Counties.

1972 — CAWCD develops a contract with Bureau of Reclamation for replayment of CAP construction costs.

1974 — Bureau of Reclamation begins purchasing rights of way for CAP adequate and negotiating construction contracts.

1977 — President Carter attempts to cut funding for CAP—continued funds were contingent upon groundwater law reform and deletion of several dams from project—including Charleston Dam, which was to function as the place of terminal storage.

1978 — Plan 6 Agreement between water users and federal government to establish local funding.

1979 — Tucson agreement to deliver CAP water and Avra Valley groundwater to northwest area of Tucson.

1980 — Arizona's Groundwater Management Act (GWMA) is passed. Allowed drilling of new wells for any purpose other than agriculture, but grandfathered the 2.5 million af deficit that agriculture was causing.

1980 — Cat Mountain proposed as terminal storage in place of Charleston Dam.

1982 — Tucson allocation increased to 148,420 af annual.

1986 — Design of the Tucson Water Treatment Plant awarded to Carollo/Black and Veatch.

1987 — Bureau of Reclamation finds "No Significant Impact" for the Environmental Assessment of the CAP Water Treatment Plant.

1987 — Cliff Dam is removed from Plan

1987 — Construction of the Tucson CAP water treatment begins

1987 — Tucson voters reject recharge as the sole treatment method.

1991 — CAP water arrives in Tucson.

In February 2003, legislation was introduced in the Congress to settle claims over Indian water rights, and repayments owed to the Federal government by Arizona for construction of the CAP.

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