Gov. Doug Ducey wants to set aside $1 billion to remove the salt from sea water and bring it to Arizona.
The Republican governor outlined the proposal for a major legacy project during his eighth and final state of the state address on Monday.
Ducey enters his final year with the state seeing a big budget surplus.
That's a major turnaround from his first speech to lawmakers in 2015 when he faced a $1 billion deficit.
Ducey also called for lawmakers to expand school choice, authorize a state-funded border wall and pay for a larger police presence along the border.