President Donald Trump has quietly nominated a veteran Arizona water official to lead the Bureau of Reclamation.
Ted Cooke, who spent more than two decades at the Central Arizona Project (CAP) — the state’s largest water delivery agency, which distributes Colorado River water to Maricopa, Pinal and Pima counties — would become Reclamation’s next commissioner if confirmed by the Senate. Trump submitted Cooke’s nomination to Congress on Monday.
The nomination comes as the seven Colorado River Basin states are locked in negotiations about a new long-term operating plan for the drought-stricken waterway. More than two decades of drought in the region have already led to repeated cuts in water allocations, with Arizona taking significant reductions.
Cooke stepped down as CAP’s general manager in early 2023. He was succeeded by Brenda Burman, who served as Reclamation commissioner during Trump’s first term in office.
