Bruce Babbit, member of a historic northern Arizona ranching family served as attorney general Arizona (1975-1978), governor of Arizona from 1978 to 1987, ran for President of the United States in 1988, and was sworn in as the Secretary of the Interior under President Bill Clinton on January 22, 1993. He served in that capacity for 8 years until January 2, 2001.
As Secretary of the Interior, Mr. Babbit served as the Water Master for the Lower Colorado River. The Boulder Canyon Project Act of 1928 designated the U.S. Secretary of the Interior as lower basin "water master" responsible for distributing all Colorado River water below Hoover Dam. Major water users on the Colorado River must contract for water with the U.S. Secretary of Interior for annual deliveries. The United States has contracted with the States of Arizona and Nevada and with various agencies in Arizona and California for the delivery of Colorado River water. These contracts make delivery of the water contingent upon its availability for use in the respective States under the Colorado River Compact and the Boulder Canyon Project Act.
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