Apache Sun Golf Club general manager/Class A superintendent serves as the leader of the Arizona golf industry on issues relating to water management and conservation

Cactus & Pine GCSA Past President and Apache Sun general manager/Class A superintendent Rory Van Poucke is running for a seat on the Central Arizona Project Water Conservation District (CAWCD) board of directors. 

The Central Arizona Project (CAP) is a 336-mile aqueduct stretching from Lake Havasu to Tucson. It features 14 pumping stations lifting water nearly 3,000 feet and delivering more than 500 billion gallons of water annually to 5 million people (80 percent of Arizona’s population) and 350,000 acres of irrigated agriculture. 

One of the most powerful political seats in the state of Arizona, the Central Arizona Project Water District is made up of 14 board members representing three counties throughout the state. Van Poucke is running for one of the five contested seats (14 candidates) in Maricopa County which encompasses the greater Phoenix metro area. 

A 27-year member of GCSAA, Van Poucke is looking forward to the November 6 election and the chance to represent Maricopa County as well as the golf industry on the CAWCD.  “As a golf course superintendent, I value the management of our natural resources and believe that my experience overseeing water use will be beneficial to the citizens of Maricopa County and Arizona,” said Van Poucke.   

Arizona is facing a water shortage due to the over allocation or structural deficit of Colorado River Water.  The water elevation levels at Lake Mead on the Arizona/Nevada border are expected to hit 1,079.5 feet by the end of this year. The Secretary of the Department of Interior will declare a tier one shortage at 1,075 feet which will likely be at the beginning of the 2020 calendar year. Arizona will take the brunt of those cuts from a Tier One shortage.

Van Poucke has been campaigning on protecting the Colorado River through support of the Arizona Lower Basin Drought Contingency Plan. The comprehensive drought plan is joint agreement between Arizona, California and Nevada to keep water levels in Lake Mead above the tiered elevation levels to avoid further cuts by the Department of Interior. 

“The Colorado River is our lifeline,” said Van Poucke.  “It’s important that the three lower basin states work together to minimize the damage from overallocation. At the same time, any agreement between the states must be acceptable to Arizona water users and I plan to use a seat on the board to represent those users.” 

For Van Poucke, the campaign trail has become a labor of love. “I have truly enjoyed going out and meeting the residents of Maricopa County and other parts of the state and hearing about the concerns they have for themselves and the future generation of Arizona residents,” stated Van Poucke.  “Arizona has provided me with a lot of opportunities and I’m looking forward to giving back.”