Phoenix Shatters Heat Records, Arizona Doubles Down on Water Infrastructure

As Arizona bakes through a record-shattering heat wave with Phoenix hitting 105°F this weekend -- the hottest March temperature ever measured in the United States -- Governor Katie Hobbs (D-AZ) moved to keep experienced hands guiding the state's water future.

Gov. Hobbs reappointed two veterans to the Water Infrastructure Finance Authority of Arizona (WIFA): Ted Cooke and Susan Montgomery.

The timing couldn't feel more urgent.

Fox10 reported abnormal spring heat is causing snowpack across the state to melt weeks ahead of schedule, and much of that melting snow is lost to evaporation before it can replenish the river, a waterway that seven states depend on.

The river is under serious strain after local governments failed to agree on how to divide its shrinking supply. Federal officials stepped in and are now developing a new water-sharing plan for the region.

Regardless of what that plan looks like, reduced water allocations across the region appear unavoidable.

Additional Expertise

Against that backdrop, Hobbs called the reappointments critical. "At this defining moment for Arizona water, Ted Cooke and Sue Montgomery provide crucial expertise and leadership that will ensure WIFA continues to fulfill its vital role for Arizona's future," she said in a statement.

Cooke brings over four decades of water management experience and most recently led the Central Arizona Project. He'll chair WIFA's Long-Term Water Augmentation Committee.

Montgomery, a founding partner of Montgomery & Interpreter, PLC, has spent more than 20 years advising tribal governments and private businesses on water and environmental law. She said she's "excited to once again work with the Board to support the water needs of Arizona's communities."

WIFA Board Chairman Jonathan Lines welcomed both back, calling them "thoughtful, creative leaders with unparalleled experience in managing and protecting Arizona's water resources."

WIFA finances water infrastructure and develops new water sources for communities statewide, work that, given Arizona's record heat, deepening drought, and Colorado River uncertainty, has never mattered more.