The CAFR includes all funds of the State (primary government), as well as its component units. Blended component units, although legally separate entities, are in substance part of a government's operations. Therefore, data from these units is combined with data of the primary government. Discretely presented component units are shown separately to emphasize that they are legally separate from the primary government and to differentiate their financial position and results of operations from those of the primary government. Discretely presented component units prepared in accordance with the Governmental Accounting Standards Board are reported in a separate column in the government-wide financial statements. Discretely presented component units prepared in accordance with the Financial Accounting Standards Board are presented as separate financial statements immediately following the government-wide financial statements to emphasize that they are prepared in accordance with accounting standards other than those promulgated by the GASB.

“What about the water?” was one of the questions Morrison Institute for Public Policy asked in its 2008 study, "Megapolitan: Arizona’s Sun Corridor". That report looked at the potential growth of the Sun Corridor as Tucson and Phoenix merge into one continuous area for economic and demographic purposes.

With its brief review of the water situation in urban Arizona, "Megapolitan" left a number of questions unanswered. This report will consider questions like these in more detail in order to examine the Sun Corridor’s water future. This topic has received less sophisticated public discussion than might be expected in a desert state. Arizona’s professional water managers feel they are relatively well prepared for the future and would like to be left alone to do their job. Elected officials and economic-development professionals have sometimes avoided discussing water for fear of reinforcing a negative view of Arizona. This report seeks to contribute to this understanding, and to a more open and informed conversation about the relationship of water and future growth.