Department Organization

Office of the Director

Herb Guenther, Director  (602) 771-8500

Karen Smith, Deputy Director (602) 771-8428
Legislative Liaison, Fred Breedlove (602) 771-8429
Public Information Officer, Jack Lavelle (602) 771-8430

Statewide Water Conservation and Strategic Planning

Tom Carr, Assistant Director

Colorado River Management
Perri Benemelis, Section Manager: (602) 771-8500.
Promotes, protects and manages Arizona's entitlement of 2.8 million acre feet annually of Colorado River water, consults on the allocation of the entitlement with the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, monitors and coordinates compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act and the Endangered Species Act as they affect the Colorado River.

Regional Water Resources Planning
Tom Whitmer, Section Manager: (602) 771-8500. 
Coordinates statewide strategic water resource planning efforts for regional areas and rural watershed initiatives; performs technical studies for regional and local areas and provides assistance in projection of future users.

Community Water Planning
Rodney Held, Section Manager: (602) 771-8500. 
Marjie Risk, Office of Water Conservation (602) 771-8500
Susan Craig, Drought Section Manager: (602) 771-8500
Coordinates Arizona’s drought management planning through drought monitoring and the formation of local area assessment and impact groups. Promotes water conservation through a statewide strategy of education, outreach and technology transfer. Coordinates Riparian protection planning and environmental assessment through the Water Protection Fund Program and other efforts.

Adjudication and Planning Support
Rich Burtell, Section Manager (602) 771-8500
Provides technical support to the court’s adjudication of water rights including verification of claims, water supply studies and special studies for the court. The section also prepares studies and data to assist the Rural Watershed Alliance with long-term determinations of water supply availability.

 

Legal Division

Legal Division
Patrick Schiffer, Chief Counsel: (602) 771-8500. 
Legal staff provides in-house counsel.  Represents the agency in litigation involving water issues in both state and federal courts; drafts and reviews proposed legislation; assists agency in the adoption of administrative rules and management plans; serves as the advocate for the agency in administrative reviews and enforcement hearings; ensures that agency activities comply with state law.

 

Office of Water Engineering

Darrell Jordan, Manager (602) 771-8500

Dam Safety Section
Michael Johnson, Section Manager
Responsible for the management of non-federal dams to ensure their safety, and conducts safety inspections of dams.

Flood Mitigation Section
Brian Cosson, Section Manager
Responsible for the management of floodplains, flood warning program and for the FEMA National Floodplain Insurance Program.

Engineering Technical Support Section
David Keadle, Section Manager
Responsible for providing engineering technical support to Dam Safety, to adjudication studies, to the flood warning program, and overall technical engineering support for the department.

 

Water Management Division

Sandra Fabritz-Whitney, Assistant Director: (602) 771-8500.

Active Management Areas (AMAs)
Responsible for carrying out, within respective areas, the provisions of the Groundwater Code and agency rules and regulations, analyzes water conservation and augmentation proposals, conducts special studies on water management issues or problems.

Phoenix AMA, Mark Frank, Area Director: (602) 771-8500. Fax (602) 771-8500.

Pinal AMA, Randy Edmond, Area Director: (520) 836-4857. Fax (520) 836-9208.

Prescott AMA, Gerry Wildeman, Area Director: (928) 778-7202. Fax (928) 776-4507.

Santa Cruz AMA, Alejandro Barcenas, Area Director: (520) 761-1814. Fax (520) 761-1869.

Tucson AMA, Ken Seasholes, Area Director: (520) 770-3800. Fax (520) 628-6759.

Office of Assured/Adequate Water Supply
Doug Dunham, Manager: (602) 771-8500
Scott Miller, Manager: (602) 771-8500  
Coordinates applications process for assured and adequate water supply determinations and groundwater recharge program.

Water Management Support Section
Elizabeth Logan, Section Manager: (602) 771-8500. 
Processes all surface water rights applications and claims, notices of intent to drill wells, and groundwater right conveyances.  Also responsible for the maintenance and imaging of public records.

 

Hydrology Division

Frank Corkhill, Assistant Director: (602) 771-8500

Serves as the technical arm of the agency, collects and analyzes statewide water resource data and maintains the state's Groundwater Site Inventory database, assists with the scientific components of specific research projects, assists in making determinations on permit applications.

 

Information Technology Division

Ty Howard, CIO/Assistant Director: (602) 771-8500

Provides technology-related strategic & tactical planning, office systems support, network administration, client-server application development and web development.

 

Administrative Services Division

Syndia Reeder, Acting Assistant Director: (602) 771-8500

Provides administrative support for agency including procurement and contracts, accounting and payroll services, human resources, and overall agency budgeting.