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HB2024 • 2026

water supply development; definition; snowpack

HB2024 - water supply development; definition; snowpack

Passed Legislature

This bill passed both chambers and reached final enrollment, even if later executive action is not shown here.

Sponsor
Gail Griffin
Last action
2026-02-26
Official status
House third read failed
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The official source material does not provide specific details on the funding allocation or required environmental reviews and permits for snowpack augmentation projects.

Water Supply Development and Snowpack Augmentation

This bill amends the definition of 'water supply development' to include snowpack augmentation projects.

What This Bill Does

  • Expands the definition of water supply development to allow for funding of snowpack augmentation projects by WIFA (Water Infrastructure Finance Authority).

Who It Names or Affects

  • WIFA (Water Infrastructure Finance Authority)
  • Arizona communities seeking financial assistance for water infrastructure
  • Entities involved in snowpack augmentation

Terms To Know

water supply development
Activities that increase or improve the availability of water, including acquiring water rights and building facilities.
snowpack augmentation
Projects aimed at increasing snow accumulation to enhance water storage during winter months.

Limits and Unknowns

  • The bill does not specify how much funding will be allocated for snowpack augmentation projects.
  • It is unclear what specific environmental reviews and permits are required for these new types of projects.

Bill History

  1. 2026-02-26 House

    House third read failed

  2. 2026-02-25 House

    House committee of the whole

  3. 2026-01-27 House

    House minority caucus

  4. 2026-01-27 House

    House majority caucus

  5. 2026-01-26 House

    House consent calendar

  6. 2026-01-13 House

    House second read

  7. 2026-01-12 House

    House Rules: C&P

  8. 2026-01-12 House

    House Natural Resources, Energy & Water: DP

  9. 2026-01-12 House

    House first read

Official Summary Text

HB2024 - 572R - House Bill Summary

ARIZONA HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

57th
Legislature, 2nd Regular Session

Majority Research Staff

House:
NREW DP 6-4-0-0

HB
2024
: water supply development; definition; snowpack

Sponsor:
Representative Griffin, LD 19

Caucus
& COW

Overview

Adds to the definition of
water
supply development
to allow the Water Infrastructure Finance

Authority (WIFA) to fund or
finance snowpack augmentation.

History

WIFA
provides financial assistance to Arizona communities for construction,
rehabilitation, or improvements of water infrastructure facilities in the form
of financing, grants or the issuance of bonds. Additionally, WIFA supports
water supply development, conservation and long-term water augmentation
projects (
A.R.S. Title
49, Chapter 8
).

Currently
water supply development
means:

1)

the
act of acquiring water or the rights to contracts for water to increase the
water supply; or

2)

the
planning, designing or building of water-related facilities, including any
reviews, permits or plans necessary for those facilities, for any of the
following purposes:

a.

conveyance
or delivery of water;

b.

storage
or recovery of water;

c.

reclamation, remediation and reuse of water;

d.

replenishment
of groundwater;

e.

active or passive stormwater recharge; or

f.

conservation of water (
A.R.S � 49-1201
).

Provisions

1.

Expands the
definition of
water supply development
to include:

a.

projects
as it relates to planning,
designing, building or developing water-related facilities including any
reviews, permits or plans; and

b.

snowpack
augmentation pursuant to weather control and cloud modification statute. (Sec.
1)

2.

Makes
conforming changes. (Sec. 1)

3.

4.

5.

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FOOTER ---------

6.

Initials CW��������������������� HB
2024

7.

1/14/2026� Page 0 Caucus
& COW

8.

9.

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FOOTER ---------

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text
HB2024 - 572R - H Ver

House Engrossed

water supply
development; definition; snowpack

State of Arizona

House of Representatives

Fifty-seventh Legislature

Second Regular Session

2026

HOUSE BILL 2024

AN
ACT

Amending section 49-1201, Arizona
Revised Statutes; relating to the water INFRASTRUCTURE finance Program.

(TEXT OF BILL BEGINS ON NEXT PAGE)

Be it enacted by the Legislature of the State of Arizona:

Section 1. Section 49-1201, Arizona Revised
Statutes, is amended to read:

START_STATUTE
49-1201.

Definitions

In this chapter, unless the context otherwise requires:

1. "Authority" means the water infrastructure
finance authority of Arizona.

2. "Board" means the water infrastructure
finance authority board established by section 49-1206.

3. "Bonds of a political subdivision"
means bonds issued by a political subdivision as authorized by law.

4. "Clean water act" means the federal
water pollution control act amendments of 1972 (P.L. 92-500; 86 Stat.
816), as amended by the water quality act of 1987 (P.L. 100-4; 101 Stat.
7).

5. "Concession agreement" means any lease,
ground lease, franchise, easement, permit or other binding agreement
transferring rights for the use or control, in whole or in part, of
water-related facilities by the authority to a private partner in accordance
with this chapter.

6. "Drinking water facility":

(a) Means a community water system or a nonprofit
noncommunity water system as defined in the safe drinking water act of 1974
(P.L. 93-523; 88 Stat. 1660; P.L. 95-190; 91 Stat. 1393; P.L.
104-182; 110 Stat. 1613) that is located in this state.

(b) Does not include water systems owned by federal
agencies.

7. "Financial assistance loan repayment
agreement" means an agreement to repay a loan provided to design,
construct, acquire, rehabilitate or improve water or wastewater infrastructure,
related property and appurtenances or a loan provided to finance a water supply
development project.

8. "Imported water" means any water that
originates outside of this state and that is made available to water users
within this state by conveyance or exchange or otherwise through projects that
are funded or financed in whole or in part with monies from the long-term water
augmentation fund.

9. "Import water" means to make water
originating outside of this state available to water users within this state by
conveyance or exchange or otherwise through projects that are funded or
financed in whole or in part with monies from the long-term water augmentation
fund.

10. "Indian tribe" means any Indian tribe,
band, group or community that is recognized by the United States secretary of
the interior and that exercises governmental authority within the limits of any
Indian reservation under the jurisdiction of the United States government,
notwithstanding the issuance of any patent and including rights-of-way
running through the reservation.

11. "Long-term water augmentation bonds"
means bonds that are issued by the authority in accordance with article 4 of
this chapter.

12. "Long-term water augmentation fund"
means the fund established by section 49-1302.

13. "Nonpoint source project" means a
project designed to implement a certified water quality management plan.

14. "Political
subdivision" means a county, city, town or special taxing district
authorized by law to construct wastewater treatment facilities, drinking water
facilities or nonpoint source projects.

15. "Private partner" means a person,
entity or organization that is not the federal government, this state or a
political subdivision of this state.

16. "Public-private partnership project"
means any water supply development project that is the subject of a
public-private partnership agreement in accordance with this chapter.

17. "Safe drinking
water act" means the federal safe drinking water act of 1974 (P.L. 93-523;
88 Stat. 1660; P.L. 95-190; 91 Stat. 1393; P.L. 104-182; 110
Stat. 1613), as amended in 1996.

18. "Technical
assistance loan repayment agreement" means either of the following:

(a) An agreement to repay a loan provided to
develop, plan and design water or wastewater infrastructure, related property
and appurtenances.� The agreement shall be for a term of not more than three
years and the maximum amount that may be borrowed is limited to not more than
$500,000.

(b) An agreement to repay a loan provided to
develop, plan or design a water supply development project.

19. "Wastewater treatment facility" means
a treatment works, as defined in section 212 of the clean water act, that is
located in this state and that is designed to hold, cleanse or purify or to
prevent the discharge of untreated or inadequately treated sewage or other
polluted waters
for purposes of complying

to
comply
with the clean water act.

20. "Water provider" means any of the
following:

(a) A municipal water delivery system as defined in
section 42-5301.

(b) A county water augmentation authority
established under title 45, chapter 11.

(c) A county water authority established under title
45, chapter 13.

(d) An Indian tribe.

(e) A community facilities district as established
by title 48, chapter 4.

(f) A public water system as prescribed in section
49-352.

(g) A county with a population of less than three
hundred thousand persons.

(h) A natural resource conservation district.

(i) For
the
purposes of
funding from the water supply development revolving fund pursuant to article 3
of this chapter only, a county that enters into an intergovernmental agreement
or other formal written agreement with a city, town or other water provider
regarding a water supply development project.

21. "Water-related facilities" means
any facility related to the production, delivery, conservation or storage of
water, including any canals, pipelines, desalination plants, pumping stations,
storage projects, recovery wells, delivery and retention projects, water and
wastewater treatment plants, and other equipment and facilities installed for
water conservation purposes, together with any land, buildings or other
improvements and equipment or personal property related thereto.

22. "Water supply development" means any
of the following:

(a) Acquiring water or rights to or contracts for
water to augment the water supply of a water provider, including any
environmental or other reviews, permits or plans reasonably necessary for that
acquisition.

(b) Planning, designing, building or developing
water-related facilities
or projects
, including any
environmental or other reviews, permits or plans reasonably necessary for those
facilities
OR PROJECTS
, for any of the following
purposes:

(i) Conveyance or delivery of water.

(ii) Storage or recovery of water under title 45, chapter
3.1.

(iii) Reclamation, remediation and reuse of water,
including by a reclamation or remediation project that is approved by the
United States environmental protection agency and that increases the
availability of water.

(iv) Replenishment of groundwater.

(v) Active or passive stormwater recharge structures
that increase water supplies.

(
vi
) Snowpack
augmentation conducted pursuant to title 45, chapter 9.

(c) Conservation through reducing existing water use
or more efficient uses of existing water supplies.
END_STATUTE