Explainer | January 2025

The Yavapai-Apache Nation Water Rights Settlement Agreement is a landmark agreement that resolves the Nation's longstanding water rights claims in the Verde River watershed.

This explainer explores key aspects of the agreement.

Report | February 2025

Report | May 2025

Negotiations over the future of the Colorado River hinge on a bold new idea: Floating Pools — reserved water storage designed to reduce conflict and avoid litigation between Upper and Lower Basin states. This report explores how this innovative concept could lay the foundation for a durable, post-2026 management framework for the river.

The Kyl Center for Water Policy at Morrison Institute regularly publishes research to inform water policy planning and decision-making

Kathleen Ferris has been involved in Arizona water issues for nearly 40 years. In 1977, she was appointed executive director of the Arizona Groundwater Management Study Commission, leading to the passage of the 1980 Arizona Groundwater Management Act, one of the nation’s most visionary groundwater laws.

Grant Heminger is a Research and Policy Analyst at the Kyl Center for Water Policy, specializing in water affordability and demand projection with a focus on tribal water systems. He graduated summa cum laude from Arizona State University's Barrett, The Honors College, where he studied under esteemed professors of practice with decades of experience in water resource management.

Arizona Colorado River Updates 

News: Divorce Might Be on the Horizon

Since the 1980s, Arizona Tribes have leased water for off-reservation use by cities and industries. A Tribal water lease is an agreement through which a Tribe allows an entity to temporarily use part of the Tribe’s water allocation in exchange for payment.