Arizona’s Water Infrastructure Finance Authority has dropped a plan to work with an Israeli firm on building a $5.5B desalination plant on Mexico’s Sea of Cortez.
Under the plan, IDE Technologies would have built a desalination plant on the Puerto Peñasco coast and then delivered water via a 200-mile-long pipeline into the Central Arizona Project canal system.
The WIFA board decided last December to start work on creating a formal agreement with IDE Technologies. That decision faced a wide array of criticism, as many felt the decision was rushed and not subject to sufficient public scrutiny. There was also significant opposition to potential environmental impacts and the project costs.
WIFA will now solicit competitive bids for a company or group to create a water importation project for the state. A desalination plant remains one option, but it is not a requirement.
The agency will now seek bids early next year for water importation and augmentation projects. Among the possible projects are a desalination plant and pipelines from either the Mississippi or Missouri rivers. Other options could also be considered.
WIFA needs formal approval of a new set of guidelines for judging and choosing projects. Those guidelines are currently awaiting review from the Governor’s Office.
WIFA Executive Director Chuck Podolak said the agency wants to develop at least one importation project and to do so through a competitive and open process. (Source)