Proposed legislation aims to create Rural Groundwater Management Act

PHOENIX — Gov. Katie Hobbs has called on the Arizona Legislature to pass a bill that would create a Rural Groundwater Management Act (RGMA) to protect five basins across the state.

Similar legislation failed to pass last session, but Hobbs has renewed optimism due to recent negotiations with stakeholders. She made the announcement Thursday with lawmakers and bipartisan elected officials at the Capitol.

“We have spent countless hours over many months carefully crafting legislation that will finally give our rural communities a voice and protect Arizona’s precious groundwater resources,” Hobbs said.

The Rural Groundwater Management Act is similar to an Active Management Area or Irrigation Non-Expansion Area, which are used to conserve water in Arizona. The RGMA would create councils to oversee the five declining basins: the Gila Bend Basin, Hualapai Valley Basin, Ranegras Plain Basin, San Simon Sub-basin and would convert the Willcox AMA into a more flexible RGMA.

Status of Rural Groundwater Management Act

Mirrored bills in the House and Senate are meant to be starting points for negotiations.

“This comprehensive plan was born out of the consensus of the diverse business and municipal interests represented on the governor’s Water Policy Council,” Arizona Senate minority leader Priya Sundareshun, who sponsored one of the bills, said.

She explained they had months of stakeholder meetings, constituent engagement and conversations with the agricultural community before drafting the legislation.

State Rep. Chris Mathis, who sponsored the bill in the Arizona House, said the goal is to empower local leaders to take groundwater management into their own hands, adding it’s about local control.

“It includes a straightforward framework and key guardrails to ensure that meaningful reductions in groundwater level declines are achieved,” Mathis said.

He added that the bill sends a strong message that Arizona is focused on innovative solutions to the region’s unique water supply challenges.

Mohave County Board of Supervisors Chairman Travis Lingenfelter thanked bipartisan legislators who are committed to passing a negotiated rural framework into state law this year.

He explained Saudi, United Arab Emirates and central California corporations have been over-extracting groundwater in the Hualapai Basin for the last decade.

He said 16 of their 100 wells drilled pump over 4 million gallons of groundwater a day.

“The have collectively purchased over 78,000 acres in the Hualapai Valley Basin and are currently cultivating 16,500 of those acres for export agriculture,” Lingenfelter said.

Related

Arizona governor announces water protection investment of over $60 millionArizona GFD, partners awarded nearly $25 million for Colorado River Basin restorationArizona Republican leader discusses approach to working with Democratic governorCentral Arizona Project president says feds ‘bought the lies’ on Colorado River planGov. Katie Hobbs pushes back on ‘unacceptable’ terms in federal Colorado River proposalArizona, California, Nevada would get less Colorado River water under new federal proposal