Special Water Master Sherri Zendri, who is presiding over both the Gila and Little Colorado River adjudications, provided an overview of water rights in Arizona and how these proceedings affect Verde River watershed residents.
Water law in Arizona is a complex web of statutes, case law, and historical documents. Arizona’s two general stream adjudication proceedings were meant to provide certainty to the process.
Speaker: Water Master Zendri has a long history both on the technical and legal side of natural resources. She has a B.S. in geology and a minor in marine sciences from Penn State University. After a six-year career as a field geologist in the mid-Atlantic states, she worked as a geologist for the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality (ADEQ). She received a master’s in public administration from ASU and a law degree from U of A. She worked as administrative counsel for both ADEQ and the Arizona Lottery before joining the Maricopa County Superior Court bench in 2023 as the Special Water Master for Arizona’s two general stream adjudications.