Gov. Doug Ducey signs historic water protection legislation
May 6, 2021, 12:00 PM | Updated: 1:50 pm
PHOENIX – Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey signed a landmark water protection bill Wednesday to ensure clean water in nearly 800 Arizona streams, lakes and rivers that are critical for everyday use.
The legislation will preserve water quality, list protected Arizona waters and develop management practices that will protect the waterways.
“This legislation protects and regulates discharges into Arizona surface waters that are used for drinking water sources, fishing, swimming and other recreational activities,” Rep. Gail Griffin, who sponsored the legislation, said in a press release.
The bill – HB 2691 – implements the Arizona Surface Water Protection Program, making it the first Arizona-specific water quality protection bill enacted since the Aquifer Protection Permit program in 1991.
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Together, the two programs will protect the quality of both Arizona’s surface and groundwater resources.
Arizona’s waters have been protected by the Groundwater Management Act and the Drought Contingency Plan, but Ducey said just having water is not enough.
“We need to ensure our water supplies are clean and safe,” Gov. Ducey said in the release.
