GUAC Members
Each of the Arizona's five Active Management Areas has a Groundwater Users Advisory Council (GUAC). Individuals are appointed by the governor to the five-member body for terms of six years. GUAC members, who serve without compensation, advise the Area Director, make recommendations on groundwater management programs and policies for the AMA, and comment to the Area Director and to the Director on draft Management Plans before they are promulgated by the Director. The GUAC is also charged with reviewing the Arizona Water Banking Authority's  annual plan of operation. Current members of the Tucson AMA GUAC are:
John Mawhinney, Chair
John Mawhinney is a former airline pilot, labor negotiator, and Majority Leader in the Arizona Legislature. Mr. Mawhinney served on the original Groundwater Management Commission, which produced the Groundwater Management Act, was Co-chair of Governor Hull's Water Management Commission, and is currently one of five Commissioners of the Arizona Water Banking Authority.
Term expires 1/16/2012
Dan M. Offret, Vice Chair
Dan Offret is an educator and former financial consultant who is currently the Executive Assistant to the President of Pima Community College’s East Campus. His involvement in local water issues dates back to 1992, when he and a group of citizens created the founding committee for the Metropolitan Domestic Water Improvement District. He is a two term board member of that District, which serves almost 50,000 in northwest Tucson, and is active in regional water organizations and renewable resource planning. Term expires 1/21/2013
Jeff Biggs
Jeff Biggs has over 29 years of experience in water quality, treatment and delivery. Jeff has been the Director of the Tucson Water Department since September 2008. From June 2001 to September 2008, he served as the Water Quality Administrator for Tucson Water, where he was responsible for both drinking water and reclaimed water production and delivery. In this position, Mr. Biggs was also responsible for ensuring that Tucson’s drinking water continually met all local, state, and federal safety and health standards.
Term expires 1/18/2016
Leo S. Leonhart
Leo Leonhart is an Arizona-registered geologist and works as a principal hydrogeologic consultant for Hargis + Associates, Inc. He earned his doctorate in watershed hydrology from the University of Arizona, where he also serves as an adjunct associate professor in Hydrology & Water Resources. In addition, he teaches science courses at the University of Phoenix. Dr. Leonhart has served the Town of Oro Valley on both the Water Utility and Stormwater Utility Commissions. Previously, he served on the Governor’s Hazardous Waste Technical Advisory Committee. He has presented numerous technical papers on at national and international fora.
Term expires 1/20/2014
Val Little
Val Little is the director of the Water Conservation Alliance of Southern Arizona (Water CASA) in Tucson. She is also Principal Research Specialist with the University of Arizona’s College of Architecture and Landscape Architecture. She has written numerous water-use efficiency publications including “Gray water Guidelines” and “New Mexico Gray Water Guide” published in 2005. Prior to becoming director of Water CASA, Ms. Little was Manager of the Nature Conservancy’s Hassayampa River Preserve. Term expires 1/20/2014
GUAC Meetings
February 14, 2011 Meeting
Meeting Agenda 
Tres Rios de Norte Negotiations Presentation- Kim Gavigan
CAWCD Shortage Projections and Shortage Implementation Presentation- Tom McCann
Pima County Water Storage Funds Presnetation- Tom McCann
[ Past Meetings]
Tucson AMA: Institutional and Policy Advisory Group (IPAG)
The Tucson AMA Institutional and Policy Advisory Group (IPAG) is an ad hoc body that discusses and analyzes regional water policy issues, and serves as the technical arm of the GUAC. IPAG was formed as part of an ambitious recharge planning process that began in the fall of 1995.
The Regional Recharge Planning Process involved the Regional Recharge Committee (entirely technical experts), and IPAG (policy-oriented representatives). Staff from the Tucson AMA provided support and coordination. The Regional Recharge Committee produced a Technical Report (1996) with physical data that served as the foundation IPAG then used to evaluate the institutional, political and economic components of regional recharge. IPAG embarked on an extensive process that included a needs assessment and development of evaluation criteria for existing, planned and proposed recharge projects. The final product was the Regional Recharge Plan.
Tucson AMA Regional Recharge Plan (all chapters and appendices are in Adobe Acrobat® format)
Executive Summary (240 KB)
I. Introduction (230 KB)
II. Sources Of Recharge Water (50 KB)
III. Technical Factors Affecting Recharge Planning (800 KB)
IV. Legal Regulatory Setting (90 KB)
V. Recharge Demand: Potential Project Participants (50 KB)
VI. Range Of Potential Recharge Facility Needs (45 KB)
VII. Development Of Alternative Demand Plans—Scenario Analysis (50 KB)
VIII. Value Identification—Needs Assessment Survey Of Potential Recharge Participants (40 KB)
IX. Recharge Project Site Assessment And Capacity Analysis (1.5 MB)
X. Conclusions, Recommendations And Implementation Issues (1.2 MB)
In the spring of 2000, IPAG began evaluating issues related to storage by the Arizona Water Banking Authority (AWBA ) in the Tucson AMA. This work led to the development of a decision support tool that helped analyze the M&I subcontract firming requirements in the AMA. The results of that analysis, and the issues related to the "firming gap" were presented to the Central Arizona Water Conservation District
(CAWCD) and the AWBA.
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Arizona Department of Water Resources
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Active Management Areas (AMAs) |
Assured and Adequate Water Supply (AAWS) |
Compliance |
Conservation-AMAs |
Conservation |
Data Management (Assessments) |
Drought |
Notice of Intent Electronic Filing |
Recharge |
Solar |
Wells
Extracts to MS Excel® Workbook/Application 
