They addressed nearly all elements on a list of legislation that drought negotiation leaders said early in January would be necessary for Arizona to implement its plan.
That list included limited changes to how water users receive credit for storing water underground.
It also called for funding to build pumps and other infrastructure to draw groundwater in Pinal County.
The package of drafts was sent Wednesday afternoon to members of the steering committee, a group of 40 or so stakeholders who, over many months, bargained and negotiated to develop Arizona’s plan.
Matt Specht, a spokesperson for the House Republican caucus, confirmed Wednesday that House leadership had received copies of the draft package, but he could not say whether all legislators had.
Drought negotiators in Arizona, which holds the lowest-priority rights to this water, fear that federally imposed cuts would be far worse than those spelled out in the Drought Contingency Plan.
Lawmakers must authorize the director of the Arizona Department of Water Resources to sign a multistate plan on behalf of Arizona, and they must also approve of Arizona’s internal plan, which spells out how its own cities, tribes, industries, and farmers will share cuts to their supply of Colorado River water.
Part of the draft package sent out Wednesday appropriated $30 million, which Governor Doug Ducey promised in November, from the state general fund to create a fund for system conservation.
This unusually poetic acronym stands for "Water that cannot reasonably Be Used Directly," and it is a statutory definition that dictates how water users can receive or exchange credits for storing water underground.
Irrigation districts have previously said they would contribute $5 million, as has the Central Arizona Water Conservation District.