Three-peat! ADWR Director honored for third year in a row as an Arizona “Leader of the Year”

For the third consecutive year, ADWR Director Tom Buschatzke has been tabbed a “Leader of the Year” in environmental policy by the Arizona Capitol Times.

The Capitol Times each year honors Arizona leaders in a wide variety of fields that affect public policy. According to the newspaper, which focuses largely on issues involving state government, the awardees are Arizonans “who advance the interest of the people of Arizona.”

Of the 38 leaders so honored by the publication in 2024, Director Buschatzke is one of only two public-policy leaders whose work has been recognized by the Capitol Times in each of the last three years.

The Director credited his hardworking staff at the Department of Water Resources for making the honor possible.

“This is occurring because of the hard work and dedication of the staff of ADWR,” said Buschatzke.

“The people of ADWR are thoroughly committed to the Department’s mission, which is to safeguard the health, safety and economic welfare of the public by protecting, conserving and enhancing Arizona's water supplies.”

The award comes at a consequential time for water-related issues in Arizona.

Arizona this year has made unprecedented progress in advancing water-settlement negotiations with four of the state’s 22 Arizona-based Tribes: the Navajo Nation, the Hopi Tribe, San Juan Southern Paiute Tribe collectively, and the Yavapai-Apache Nation.

With Director Buschatzke leading on behalf of the state, the Northeastern Arizona Indian Water Rights Settlement, a collective settlement of water rights for the Navajo Nation, Hopi Tribe, and San Juan Southern Paiute Tribe, is now before Congress. The historic agreement includes more than 30 parties, including several state agencies, private businesses, and cities and towns. 

ADWR this year also successfully negotiated and completed the Yavapai-Apache Nation Water Rights Settlement, which also is before Congress. Director Buschatzke has submitted written testimony supportive of both settlements and has offered to testify in person before congressional committees considering the measures.
The completion of the settlements resolves more than four decades of litigation in state court.

It has been an active year for ADWR’s involvement in tribal water agreements. In April, Buschatzke attended the Colorado River Indian Tribes Three-Party Agreement Signing Ceremony with Governor Hobbs in Parker, hosted by the Colorado River Indian Tribes. 

As Arizona’s designated representative on issues related to the management of the Colorado River – the source of 36-40 percent of the state’s water supply – Director Buschatzke is deeply involved in negotiations over new operating guidelines for the vital river system. Current Colorado River operating guidelines are set to expire after 2026. 

The challenging negotiations recently prompted Director Buschatzke to request an additional $1 million in the Department’s upcoming budget in anticipation of possible legal action the Director may be forced to take in order to protect Arizona’s 2.8 million acre-foot Colorado River allocation.

Meanwhile, protecting Arizona’s groundwater supplies – ADWR’s defining mission since the advent of the landmark Groundwater Management Act of 1980 – has proved to be a consuming effort in 2024. 

ADWR under Director Buschatzke has been central to setting up the state’s first entirely new Active Management Area in over 40 years, the Douglas AMA in southeastern Arizona. 

In addition, the Department has held informational sessions for residents of threatened rural groundwater basins near Gila Bend and Willcox, as well as providing expert testimony for the dozens of water-related issues considered this year by the Legislature.