Governor Hobbs Joins Bipartisan Leaders to Announce Critical Legislation to Protect Arizona’s Water Supplies

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The Rural Groundwater Management Act creates water protections that will sustain Arizona's rural communities for generations

Phoenix, AZ – Today, Governor Hobbs joined a bipartisan group of state lawmakers, county supervisors, mayors, and agribusiness leaders to announce the release of the Rural Groundwater Management Act, groundbreaking legislation that provides a new water management solution to protect Arizona's rural communities.

The Rural Groundwater Management Act develops a new flexible, locally-driven framework called Rural Groundwater Management Areas (RGMAs) that will improve groundwater conditions and protect water for Arizona families. It is designed to serve as an alternative to Active Management Areas (AMAs) and Irrigation Non-Expansion Areas (INAs).

"Rural Arizonans are fed up with seeing their wells going dry and their futures being pumped out from beneath them as their precious groundwater aquifers are depleted and exploited," said Governor Katie Hobbs. "We have spent years developing collaborative legislation that gives rural communities a voice and protects their groundwater from out-of-state entities pumping for profit. This bill creates flexible, common sense solutions to protect the rural way of life in Arizona, while ensuring there is water for our children and grandchildren."

The bill was drafted based on the framework developed by the bipartisan Governor's Water Policy Council and is sponsored by Senator Priya Sundareshan and Representative Chris Mathis, who spoke about the legislation with Governor Hobbs and rural leaders at the Executive Tower today.

"I do want to make something clear: The mirrored proposals that Rep. Mathis and I have introduced today are the starting point for rural groundwater negotiations moving into this session," said Senate Democratic Leader Priya Sundareshan. "This comprehensive plan was born out of the consensus of the diverse business and municipal interests represented on the Governor's Water Policy Council, followed by months of stakeholder meetings, constituent engagement, and honest conversations with the agricultural community and our Republican colleagues about what our state truly needs to be successful in the long run."

"This legislation is a direct response to the pleas for help we've heard from the people who live, work and have raised families and built farms and businesses in small towns and rural communities across this state," said State Representative Chris Mathis. "It builds on the work over the past two years of the Governor's Water Policy Council, and it reflects intensive, months-long bipartisan negotiations beginning in January of last year. It is vital and urgent that we establish a third, common-sense option, in addition to AMAs and INAs, that empowers local leaders to take groundwater management into their own hands.  And that's a key point – this bill is about local control."

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City and county leaders from across Arizona joined the event to share how this legislation will positively impact rural Arizonans throughout the entire state.

"Make no mistake, I am a conservative, active Republican. But this issue is not a partisan issue. Last time I checked, there is no Democratic water and Republican water, there's water for our state," said Prescott Mayor Phil Goode. "And it's important that our rural communities have the opportunity to control their future. We have to have both sides of the aisle working together to do this. I want to thank the Governor for initiating this Rural Groundwater Management Act and I look forward to working with the legislature to get this across the finish line and getting this enacted this legislative session."

"Water is life in Arizona, and in 1980 Republican and Democratic elected leaders like John Kyl, Bruce Babbitt, and other legislators came together despite their differences to pass the Arizona Groundwater Management Act.  While not perfect, it was a significant achievement that provided a framework for Arizona's urbanized areas to responsibly manage their groundwater resources, protect private property values, and sustain massive economic development and population growth," said Mohave County Supervisor Travis Lingenfelter. "Forty-five years after passage of the Groundwater Act, over one million Arizonans living in the 80% of our state still classified as rural are still left vulnerable. I thank Governor Hobbs and legislators on both sides of the aisle for their commitment to finally solving the other half of Arizona's groundwater equation by passing a bipartisan, negotiated rural framework tool that protects our rural private property values, secures our rural residences and small businesses, and keeps Arizona's small cities and towns amazing and strong for generations to come."

"In our community, water touches every aspect of life. It supports our burgeoning wine industry, a vital and growing part of our economy, and sustains the businesses, farmers and ranchers who are the backbone of our region. Unfortunately, the Willcox Basin Aquifer has faced severe strain, resulting in homeowners wells going dry, land subsidence and a race to the bottom to deepen wells. These challenges have made it clear that we need meaningful action to secure our water future." said Willcox Mayor Greg Hancock. "I want to thank Governor Hobbs for her leadership in prioritizing rural Arizona's water resources. The proposed Rural Groundwater Management Act (RGMA) offers a strong framework and provides a foundation to build upon, allowing us to reach a compromise and move forward with future water legislation, hopefully in 2025. Water is not a partisan issue—it's a community issue. I urge all legislators to work collaboratively with Governor Hobbs to find a solution."

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During today's news conference, Governor Hobbs was also joined by Supervisor Patrice Horstman, Coconino County; Supervisor Nikki Check, Yavapai County; Supervisor Holly Irwin, La Paz County; Supervisor John Fanning, Santa Cruz County; Mayor Ken Watkins, Kingman; Vice Mayor Cherish Sammelli, Kingman; and Ed Curry, Willcox Basin farmer.

Creating an RGMA closes the relevant basin or subbasin, ending the free-for-all in rural Arizona on unprotected, vulnerable groundwater aquifers. Conservation programs for large water users and funding programs are established to help conserve water supplies and reduce aquifer depletion. Additionally, RGMAs establish a local Council made up of local water users and residents to guide the administration of the water management programs with support from ADWR.

Key elements of the Rural Groundwater Management Act include:

Local Choice, Local Solutions – Rural communities are best positioned to understand their unique water needs and craft appropriate solutions. The RGMA gives rural Arizonans the tools and flexibility to create water management programs. Local stakeholders and water users will be appointed to a five-person RGMA Council by the Governor, with four names selected by the Senate President, House Speaker, and minority leaders in both chambers. The local Council will have decision-making authority to set conservation targets that are right for their communities.

Flexible, Effective Water Conservation – RGMA conservation programs will reduce groundwater use and improve aquifer conditions with more flexible guidelines that allow local water users and economies to thrive. Guaranteed water reductions ensure that conservation programs will yield results. RGMAs are designed to serve as an innovative alternative solution to AMAs and INAs.

Water Protection & Certainty – RGMAs end the free-for-all in rural Arizona, protecting groundwater basins from new, large entities moving in and extracting groundwater. Existing water users are given certainty with Certificates of Groundwater Use that recognize their water usage, quantify their access to groundwater, and provide certainty to help catalyze economic growth and opportunities in rural communities.

Adaptable, Customizable Water Management – Local water users appointed to an RGMA Council are empowered to adjust conservation programs every 10 years to respond to the needs of their communities and achieve their water management goals.

Funding for Water Conservation, Reuse, and Recharge – To help rural communities manage their groundwater basins, a dedicated fund is created to support voluntary water conservation, aquifer recharge, and water reuse programs in rural Arizona. The initial seed funding will be a negotiated legislative appropriation.

Groundwater Protection for Basins in Trouble – The RGMA Legislation establishes protections immediately for the severe decline areas of the Gila Bend Basin, Hualapai Valley Basin, Ranegras Plain Basin, and San Simon Sub-basin. The Willcox AMA will also be converted to a new, more flexible RGMA. Other rural groundwater basins will have a path for water protections and can be designated as subsequent RGMAs if requested by basin voters, the County Board of Supervisors or initiated by ADWR and if the basin meets the scientific criteria that show groundwater management is necessary.

See House Bill 2714 here and Senate Bill 1425 here.

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