For a background on this issue, check out our two compilations on the history.

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The long saga of the Western Area Water Supply Authority has once again popped up at the 2023 with requests of loan and interest forgiveness, bailouts, and even more credit extended.

Senate Bill 2196 seeks to do many things.

Section 1 says that if WAWSA can’t make its payments, the State Water Commission will make the payments.

Section 6 allows current loans to be consolidated and refinanced out the year 2053:

Section 7 asks for interest payments to be forgiven:

These provisions add to the actions taken in previous session to prop-up and bailout this program.

Here is my testimony on SB 2196, and you can watch the video of the entire hearing above.

Remember that in 2017, the legislature tried to create a new Water Extraction Tax, to apply to private water sales, in order to subsidize WAWSA and make it easier to cover their loans.