Gov. Ducey visits Yuma for State of State address

Arizona governor Doug Ducey was back in Yuma County Thursday to kick off his second term with his State of the State address.

He focused on our region, including how the state is impacted by illegal immigration and the future of our water.

Governor Ducey credited several locals for their role in the Drought Contingency Plan that was signed on January 31.

“The people who got this done put the State of Arizona first,” said Gov. Ducey.

Wade Noble, Yuma water rights attorney, was one of the key players that Gov. Ducey credited.

“The drought contingency plan was more of a protective measure for the future,” said Noble. “Because Yuma County, especially Yuma County agriculture and the City of Yuma has such high priority water. There are others in the state who do not have the same type of priority or access and they would like to have the water priority and the water that we have.”

Noble said the contingency plan will prevent water levels from getting lower at Lake Mead.

Right now, levels are at 1,085.77 MSL but in January 2011, it was at 1091.73, according to the Bureau of Reclamation.

The Governor’s Office said without action, Arizona could lose enough water that would power one million homes for a year.

The governor also expressed his opinion on our southern border.

“I’m calling on Congress to come together and get this done. Not only do we need border security and a physical barrier, but there are also other issues around immigration that need to be solved,” said Gov. Ducey.

In his speech, Governor Ducey highlighted the relationship between the state and our neighbor Mexico and claimed it is as strong as ever.

“We’ve added over 300,000 news jobs in the state of Arizona since 2015 and this relationship with Mexico has been key to that success,” said Gov. Ducey.

Gov. Ducey also spoke about education and veterans. You can watch the entire address here.