Water Policy Council Recommends Improvements to Arizona’s Groundwater Management

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In Might, I had the respect of being appointed to the newly fashioned Water Coverage Council by Governor Katie Hobbs. The Governor gave her Water Coverage Council a transparent directive: by December 2023, present her with suggestions on methods to enhance Arizona’s groundwater administration. The intention is protected and dependable water provides for all of Arizona. Suggestions could be legislative (which means the legislature would wish to introduce and cross laws that she would wish to signal to grow to be regulation) or administrative (which means state businesses just like the Arizona Division of Water Sources may implement the suggestions by a rulemaking course of or current authorities). The Governor’s Water Coverage Council’s work is at present targeted inside two committees: the Assured Water Provide Committee and the Rural Groundwater Committee.

As a part of this course of, numerous contributors from across the state have convened to debate groundwater administration options. A bipartisan and numerous group of stakeholders serve on these two committees, which incorporates Tribes, legislators, state businesses, municipal water customers, agriculture, county representatives, the city improvement business, mining, universities, and conservation teams (like Audubon Southwest).

As a accountability of my function on the Water Coverage Council, I additionally serve on the Rural Groundwater Committee, which has met very recurrently over the previous six months. Our committee agreed {that a} new groundwater administration framework was wanted to supply extra choices to handle groundwater for the areas exterior of Lively Administration Areas (AMAs) and Irrigation Non-Enlargement Areas (INAs). The areas exterior of AMAs and INAs are sometimes called rural Arizona.

Greater than 1.5 million folks reside in rural Arizona, which is roughly 80 p.c of the state’s land space.

But there may be no groundwater management in these parts of the state. This implies the deepest effectively wins, and this has led to conflicts amongst neighbors, declining groundwater ranges, degraded streams and rivers, and dangers to water provides that cities, farmers, business, birds, rivers, and habitat all depend on.

There’s broad recognition throughout the political spectrum and throughout varied curiosity teams that with no new framework to assist rural Arizona communities handle their valuable groundwater provides, rural Arizona’s future is in danger. Arizona is the odd state out with regards to managing this water provide—Kansas, Nevada, Texas and other states in the West have ways to manage their groundwater.

So, to supply a brand new possibility for the elements of the state the place no groundwater administration at present exists, and to raised perceive the groundwater scenario all through the state, the Rural Groundwater Committee put forth two suggestions for consideration by the total Governor’s Water Coverage Council, which had been authorised. These embrace:

1. Rural Groundwater Management Areas framework
2. Increasing data collection and monitoring for groundwater statewide

I additionally supported the suggestions introduced forth from the Assured Water Provide Committee, which proposes some fixes to current groundwater administration guidelines, together with:

1. Closing the build to rent loophole (at present, inside AMAs, when single household houses are constructed as leases, not owned by people, they don’t have to adjust to the requirement to have 100 years’ value of water earlier than constructing).
2. Closing the wildcat subdivision loophole (inside AMAs, when six or fewer dwelling tons are subdivided, they don’t seem to be complying with the requirement to have 100 years’ value of water earlier than constructing).
3. Encouraging more water providers/cities to become “designated,” meaning urban growth must be accompanied with 100 years’ worth of water within water provider/city boundaries.

You may learn the small print of all these proposals by clicking on the respective hyperlinks above.

Audubon Southwest helps the suggestions of the Governor’s Water Coverage Council.  Along with the suggestions of the Governor’s Water Coverage Council, extra associated proposals are sure to materialize from different legislative pursuits, offering different approaches to water administration. I imagine all well-intended proposals, particularly those who search to protect and handle rural Arizona’s valuable groundwater sources, ought to obtain consideration by stakeholders, along with those who originated by the Governor’s course of.

The quick model: These suggestions are a constructive step ahead within the dialogue of methods to enhance the administration and understanding of groundwater provides in ALL of Arizona.

We acknowledge that among the suggestions the Governor’s Water Coverage Council is submitting, equivalent to a brand new rural groundwater administration framework, can solely be achieved with cooperation and coordination with the legislature. We sit up for persevering with to work with all events to cross laws that helps rural Arizona defend its future and maintain wholesome economies, livelihoods, and water provides.

Wish to take motion? Sign on to this letter encouraging the legislature and Governor Hobbs to assist rural communities handle their groundwater.