Lawmakers proved that they’ll work in a bipartisan vogue on water points in Arizona with the passage of Senate Bill 1611, groundwater financial savings credit score, also called “Ag to City.” As we face powerful selections forward on the Colorado River, it’s noteworthy to see this stage of collaboration amongst Republican and Democratic lawmakers on a serious water concern in Arizona.
Audubon Southwest focuses on enhancing water safety for communities, habitats, and birds throughout Arizona. We have interaction on the state legislature to advance these policy and funding priorities to enhance Arizona’s water outlook and to guard our lands and waters.
Why is that this laws vital?
In 2019, the Arizona Division of Water Assets discovered that the Pinal Lively Administration Space now not had groundwater out there for brand new housing improvement that relied solely on groundwater. The subtle evaluation performed by the Arizona Division of Water Assets revealed there could be “unmet demand” over 100 years if new housing development was allowed to proceed. In 2023, the Phoenix Lively Administration Space confronted the identical scenario. All of the groundwater was spoken for in these two Lively Administration Areas and there may very well be no new housing development on groundwater.
Whereas this was the intention of the Groundwater Management Act, to make sure ample water for development, what this meant in follow was that the prevailing agricultural lands within the Pinal and Phoenix Lively Administration Areas might proceed pumping the groundwater they’d traditionally been utilizing—however they might not convert to housing improvement, which makes use of much less water per acre than agriculture and permits for extra water reuse (as a result of homes generate wastewater by way of bathroom flushing and different indoor makes use of; that water might be purified and reused to recharge groundwater, for instance).
So, stakeholders from throughout the water group and throughout the political aisle labored collectively during the last two years to suggest an answer that might permit present agricultural lands pumping groundwater to transform to decrease water use improvement.
Why did Audubon assist the invoice?
Audubon Southwest monitored and engaged within the dialog on the Ag to City idea, from its inception on the Governor’s Water Coverage Council, the place I keep a seat on the desk, by way of the passage of the laws. Audubon Southwest supported the coverage framework from the Governor’s Water Coverage Council and submitted a letter in March 2025 to the Arizona Division of Water Assets after they had been soliciting suggestions. Then, because the Ag to City thought advanced within the legislative course of, Audubon engaged with legislators and supported the ultimate negotiated model—one which upheld the Groundwater Administration Act, saved groundwater over time, pushed housing development to be extra water-wise, and inspired improvement to happen in “Designated Suppliers” (water suppliers that may show they’ve a 100-year provide for water for all makes use of inside their boundaries).
Below the Ag to City program included in Senate Invoice 1611, agricultural groundwater customers can voluntarily retire their pumping rights in trade for Groundwater Financial savings Credit that can be utilized for decrease water use improvement and utilized in direction of the bodily availability requirement of the 100-year Assured Water Provide Program for Designated Suppliers (a trademark of Arizona water administration).
Within the Phoenix Lively Administration Space, the Arizona Division of Water Assets conservatively estimates that the Ag to City program will save 7.1 million acre-feet of water over 100 years from this system. Within the Pinal Lively Administration Space, this system is predicted to save lots of 2.5 million acre-feet over 100 years. By permitting housing improvement on agricultural lands, groundwater pumping can be lowered as residential houses use much less water than agriculture and the water from these houses might be extra successfully recycled or used to recharge the aquifer.
The idea improved from final legislative session to incorporate ample guardrails to make sure groundwater financial savings could be achieved over time and that there was no weakening of the Groundwater Administration Act, all whereas permitting for water-wise housing improvement and inspiring city improvement in water supplier service areas which have a 100-year water provide.
Moreover, to extend effectivity and additional scale back water use, the laws prohibits a municipal supplier from utilizing groundwater for non-functional grass, waterparks, lakes, ponds, and ornamental water options on the retired agricultural acres. Municipalities and Householders Associations are prohibited from requiring non-functional grass, waterparks, lakes stuffed with groundwater, ponds, or ornamental water options on these lands.
We’re inspired to see lawmakers come collectively, working throughout the aisle and with the Governor, to deal with this want in our state. It serves as a reminder that we are able to handle troublesome water challenges by way of collaboration, creativity, and compromise in Arizona.
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