Central Arizona Project
Central Arizona Project is an Arizona public water agency operating a 336-mile aqueduct system that delivers Colorado River water to municipal, agricultural, and tribal users across Maricopa, Pinal, and Pima counties, with six recharge facilities providing 300,000+ acre-feet of annual underground storage.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1985
- HeadquartersPhoenix, United States
- Headcount251–500
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Central Arizona Project does
Central Arizona Project (CAP) is a public water delivery agency operated through the Central Arizona Water Conservation District (CAWCD), a political subdivision of Arizona governed by a 15-member elected Board of Directors. CAP owns and operates a 336-mile aqueduct system — comprising 14 pumping plants (including Mark Wilmer with 66,000-horsepower pumps), tunnels, pipelines, the New Waddell Dam at Lake Pleasant, and three dams/reservoirs — that delivers Colorado River water from Lake Havasu near Parker, Arizona, to the San Xavier Indian Reservation southwest of Tucson. The system was constructed over 20 years at a $4 billion cost (1991 dollars) and began deliveries in May 1985; through 2017 the delivered water had supported an estimated $2 trillion in gross state product benefits.
CAP serves three primary customer segments: municipal water providers in Maricopa, Pinal, and Pima counties (covering Arizona's most populated regions), agricultural districts and farms in central and southern Arizona, and Arizona's 22 federally recognized tribes — making CAP the largest tribal-water-delivering organization in the United States. Ancillary services include a six-facility Recharge Program (300,000+ acre-feet/year underground storage), wheeling services for Non-Project water under the 2017 System Use Agreement, water-quality monitoring via the AquaPortal, biology management (quagga mussels, aquatic weeds, caddisflies, and the Multi-Species Conservation Program), and customer-facing digital tools (eAccounts portal, CAP University, Know Your Water News). Revenue derives from property taxes, biennial water-rate schedules, recharge/storage fees (Water Storage Agreements), and wheeling contracts; no revenue figure is publicly disclosed in the inputs. Tier 1 shortage conditions declared for 2026 will materially reduce Colorado River deliveries, driving strategic emphasis on the 500+ conservation plan, Minute 323 binational coordination, augmentation, adaptation, and upper-basin cloud seeding with SNWA and California's six-agency committee.
Central Arizona Project firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Central Arizona Project
- Legal name
- Central Arizona Water Conservation District
- Website
- https://cap-az.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1985
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 251–500 employees
- Short description
- Central Arizona Project is an Arizona public water agency operating a 336-mile aqueduct system that delivers Colorado River water to municipal, agricultural, and tribal users across Maricopa, Pinal, and Pima counties, with six recharge facilities providing 300,000+ acre-feet of annual underground storage.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Central Arizona Project industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Water Utility Services
- NAICS
- Water Supply and Irrigation Systems (221310), Water Supply and Irrigation Systems (22131), Water, Sewage and Other Systems (2213)
- SIC
- Water Supply (4941), Water, Sewer, Pipeline, Comm & Power Line Construction (1623)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Raw Water Conveyance & Transmission (Aqueducts, Mains, Pumping Stations) (EUANAAAB)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Water Storage & Conveyance Structures (Tanks, Reservoirs, Canals, Ponds) (AFAAACAH), Agricultural Irrigation Water Conveyance Pipelines (Long-Distance) (TLAGAHAD), Water Resources Administration (Watersheds, Rivers, Groundwater) (BPAIAMAE), Water Supply & Wastewater Utilities Administration (BPAIACAG)
Keywords
Where Central Arizona Project is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Phoenix
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices3 records
Markets served
Central Arizona Project business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Operations, Infrastructure, Personnel, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels8 records
Central Arizona Project product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Central Arizona Project operates a 336-mile aqueduct system that delivers Colorado River water from Lake Havasu to central and southern Arizona, supplying municipal, agricultural, and tribal water users across Maricopa, Pinal, and Pima counties. The system comprises 14 pumping plants, 3 dams/reservoirs including New Waddell Dam at Lake Pleasant, and 6 underground recharge facilities with 300,000+ acre-feet of annual storage capacity. Contracted services extend to wheeling non-Project Water, water-banking through Water Storage Agreements, water-quality monitoring, and Lake Pleasant storage operations for the Arizona Water Banking Authority.
Product overview
Central Arizona Project (CAP) is a 336-mile water delivery system that supplies Colorado River water to central and southern Arizona. The core offering is the CAP Water Supply Services and CAP System Operations, which together deliver water through 14 pumping plants, tunnels, and canals from Lake Havasu to the San Xavier Indian Reservation southwest of Tucson. Supporting the core water delivery are multiple integrated modules: the Recharge Program (six underground storage facilities with 300,000+ acre-feet annual capacity), Lake Pleasant Operations (midpoint storage reservoir), Water Quality Monitoring (real-time monitoring via AquaPortal), Biology Management (handling quagga mussels, aquatic weeds, MSCP), and Wheeling Services (transporting non-project water). Customer-facing digital products include eAccounts (customer portal for scheduling and delivery documents) and AquaPortal (water quality data portal by Aquatic Informatics). Community engagement products include CAP University (educational courses), CAP Education Programs (K-12 materials), and Know Your Water News (news platform). Colorado River management initiatives include the 500+ Plan (conservation), Minute 323 (binational agreement), and Weather Modification Projects (cloud seeding).
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- CAP Water Supply Services Core contracted service delivering Colorado River water through the 336-mile CAP aqueduct to municipal, agricultural, and tribal water users in central and southern Arizona. Customers in Maricopa, Pinal, and Pima counties contract for Project Water deliveries under long-term water service agreements.
- Recharge Program (Underground Water Storage)
Quantifiable outcome
- $2 trillion in economic benefits to Arizona's gross state product since 1985
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Central Arizona Project
Customer profileNamed customers3 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Central Arizona Project technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature6 records
Central Arizona Project partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core and supporting.
- International Boundary and Water Commission (IBWC)coreMinute 323 was signed and finalized by the Commissioners of the International Boundary and Water Commission in the United States and the Republic of Mexico on Sept. 26, 2017. The binational agreement expands collaboration and sharing between Mexico and U.S. water users on Colorado River operations.
- Republic of MexicocoreMinute 323 binational agreement signed Sept. 26, 2017 between U.S. and Mexico expands collaboration and sharing of Colorado River risks and opportunities. Includes shortage sharing, surplus sharing, binational conservation projects, environmental flows in Colorado River delta, and Binational Water Scarcity Contingency Plan.
- U.S. Bureau of ReclamationcoreCAP System Use Agreement (SUA) was approved by the Bureau and CAP in February 2017. The agreement resolves long-standing legal, financial and operational issues related to wheeling. Allows CAP to wheel non-project water supplies through the CAP system pursuant to standard form wheeling agreements.
- Arizona Department of Water Resources (ADWR)coreADWR Director represented interests of Arizona in direct negotiations with Mexico for Minute 323. CAWCD staff participated in negotiations and work groups. ADWR also works with CAP on recovery planning through the Recovery Advisory Planning Group (RPAG).
- Arizona Water Banking AuthoritycoreAWBA participates in the binational process between U.S. and Mexico since 2008. AWBA stores water for CAP Municipal and Industrial (M&I) subcontract firming purposes at CAP recharge facilities. AWBA also involved in Recovery Advisory Planning Group (RPAG) for recovery planning.
- Southern Nevada Water Authority (SNWA)coreJointly funded weather modification activities with SNWA and California's six agency committee supporting cloud seeding projects in Upper Colorado River Basin (Wyoming, Colorado, Utah) to generate greater runoff volumes in the Colorado River. Activities coordinated with North American Weather Modification Council.
- California Six Agency CommitteecoreJointly funded weather modification activities with Southern Nevada Water Authority and CAP supporting cloud seeding projects in Upper Colorado River Basin states.
- North American Weather Modification Council (NAWMC)supportingCAP weather modification activities are coordinated with NAWMC for cloud seeding operations in the Upper Colorado River Basin.
- U.S. Bureau of ReclamationcoreThe 500+ Plan was developed by Lower Basin States (Arizona, California, Nevada) and U.S. Bureau of Reclamation. The goal is to conserve an additional 500,000 acre-feet or more per year beyond DCP reductions to benefit Lake Mead.
- Lower Basin States (Arizona, California, Nevada)coreJoint collaboration on 500+ Plan to conserve additional 500,000 acre-feet per year beyond Drought Contingency Plan reductions to benefit Lake Mead.
- Metropolitan Water District of Southern CaliforniasupportingCAP works closely with Metropolitan Water District of Southern California and Southern Nevada Water Authority through the Lower Colorado River Water Quality Partnership to address initiatives and programs related to water quality in the lower Colorado River, including environmental protection, Lake Mead conservation, and safeguarding water quality.
- Southern Nevada Water AuthoritysupportingPart of Lower Colorado River Water Quality Partnership addressing water quality initiatives, environmental protection, and Lake Mead conservation in the lower Colorado River.
Scale indicators15 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Central Arizona Project competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- San Diego County Water Authority: Wholesale water agency importing Colorado River and State Water Project water to San Diego County. Comparable to CAP as a wholesale imported-water agency with diversified sourcing, storage, and treatment infrastructure.
- Imperial Irrigation District: Largest single Colorado River entitlement holder in the US, serving California's Imperial Valley with irrigation and aqueduct water. Comparable as a Colorado River wholesaler with agricultural, municipal, and tribal customers and significant canal infrastructure.
- Metropolitan Water District of Southern California: Largest wholesale water supplier in the US, delivering Colorado River and State Water Project water across Southern California. Comparable to CAP as a regional wholesale Colorado River / aqueduct-based water conveyance and storage operator serving municipal, agricultural, and tribal users.
- Southern Nevada Water Authority: Treaty/Colorado River water wholesaler serving Las Vegas and Southern Nevada, including extensive groundwater banking and conservation programs. Highly comparable to CAP as a Colorado River wholesaler; SNWA and CAP even jointly fund cloud seeding and water quality programs.
Broad incumbents
- East Bay Municipal Utility District: Large California urban water utility operating aqueducts, reservoirs, and treatment systems. Comparable as a vertically integrated water conveyance and storage utility, though geographically focused on the San Francisco Bay Area rather than interbasin transfer.
- California Department of Water Resources (State Water Project): Operator of the State Water Project, a 700-mile aqueduct and reservoir system delivering water across California. Closest large-scale analog to CAP's aqueduct-and-pumping-plant model, though at much larger scale and statewide scope.
- Bureau of Reclamation (Lower Colorado Region): Federal agency that owns and operates Hoover, Davis, and Parker Dams and governs Colorado River allocations. Comparable as the federal regulator and infrastructure operator that CAP partners with and is contractually tied to under the Master Repayment Contract.
Regional players
- Salt River Project: Arizona utility delivering water and power across central Arizona through a reservoir and canal system. Comparable as an Arizona-based multi-purpose water and power wholesaler serving overlapping geographic customers with CAP.
- Arizona Water Banking Authority: State agency storing Colorado River water via recharge facilities (including CAP recharge sites) for future recovery. Comparable to CAP as a partner entity using CAP's 300,000+ acre-feet recharge infrastructure for long-duration water banking.
- Central Arizona Groundwater Replenishment District (CAGRD): CAP subsidiary administering groundwater replenishment obligations for developers and landowners in active management areas. Comparable as an Arizona groundwater recharge and replenishment provider operating within CAP's infrastructure footprint.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Central Arizona Project social profiles
Digital presenceCentral Arizona Project financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Central Arizona Project leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles28 records
Central Arizona Project subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries1 record
Central Arizona Project funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Central Arizona Project M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Central Arizona Project
What does Central Arizona Project do?
Central Arizona Project operates a 336-mile aqueduct system that delivers Colorado River water from Lake Havasu to central and southern Arizona, supplying municipal, agricultural, and tribal water users across Maricopa, Pinal, and Pima counties. The system comprises 14 pumping plants, 3 dams/reservoirs including New Waddell Dam at Lake Pleasant, and 6 underground recharge facilities with 300,000+ acre-feet of annual storage capacity. Contracted services extend to wheeling non-Project Water, water-banking through Water Storage Agreements, water-quality monitoring, and Lake Pleasant storage operations for the Arizona Water Banking Authority.
Is Central Arizona Project a public or private company?
Central Arizona Project is a private company. It is classified as state government owned and is currently operating.
When was Central Arizona Project founded?
Central Arizona Project was founded in 1985. It employs 251 to 500 people.
Where is Central Arizona Project based?
Central Arizona Project is headquartered in Phoenix, United States, in the North America region.
Who are Central Arizona Project's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are San Diego County Water Authority, Imperial Irrigation District, Metropolitan Water District of Southern California and Southern Nevada Water Authority. Broad incumbents are East Bay Municipal Utility District, California Department of Water Resources (State Water Project) and Bureau of Reclamation (Lower Colorado Region). Regional players are Salt River Project, Arizona Water Banking Authority and Central Arizona Groundwater Replenishment District (CAGRD).
Does Central Arizona Project have an API?
No public API is recorded for Central Arizona Project.
What industry is Central Arizona Project in?
Central Arizona Project's product category is Water Utility Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EUANAAAB, Raw Water Conveyance & Transmission (Aqueducts, Mains, Pumping Stations), with a secondary code of AFAAACAH, Water Storage & Conveyance Structures (Tanks, Reservoirs, Canals, Ponds). Its NAICS code is 221310 and its SIC code is 4941.