Saving water must someday be mandatory. That’s the opinion of the director of the Arizona League of Conservation Voters, which describes itself as the “political arm of the environmental community.”

“As we move along, we are going to have to look at mandatory conservation,” said Stephanie Sklar, league director.

Ms. Sklar attended this month’s Arizona Town Hall at the Grand Canyon, which was devoted to water issues and where Governor Napolitano addressed mandatory water conservation as part of a proposed state drought plan.

“An important question concerns the authority to order mandatory conservation measures,” the governor said in a speech Nov. 1. “To the greatest extent possible, decisions about mandatory conservation measures must be retained in local hands.”

Ms. Napolitano said, “At some point, we will need the ability at the state level to declare a severe drought emergency based on agreed-upon criteria that are science-based and data driven.”

She also announced that the state’s three universities have agreed to form a virtual “water university” by 2006 to coordinate water studies in areas such as engineering, law, geography, geology, biology and hydrology.

Ms. Sklar said the governor’s speech “lights a fire under the agencies responsible [for water management] and sends a message to the Legislature,” which, she says, needs to establish the framework for mandatory water conservation.

“We have to have the legal system in place,” Ms. Sklar said. “Things have to be done incrementally. Those who oppose [conservation mandates] are concerned about not being treated fairly.”

Kevin Adam, legislative director for the League of Arizona Cities and Towns, said Ms. Napolitano’s remarks about local control over water conservation were encouraging.

“Every area has different demands,” he said. “We would be concerned about mandates if such decisions weren’t made at the local level.”

Mr. Adam said the Legislature would have to come up with enabling legislation to permit local governments to impose mandatory water conservation measures.

Ms. Sklar also called on the Legislature to deal with what she called “wildcat subdivisions” being established in areas outside the state’s five active management areas (AMAs).

“People move in and then find out they have no water at all,” Ms. Sklar said.

The AMAs were established to provide long-term management and conservation of limited groundwater supplies.

Rep. Tom O’Halleran, R-1, has said he will introduce legislation to deal with regional water planning, private water companies and to involve the Arizona Corporation Commission in drought management.

“In most of rural Arizona, we make decisions based on what water we hope will be there, not what we know will be there,” he told Arizona Capitol Times in October.

Water Conservation Office

Mr. O’Halleran also said the Legislature needs to know soon how much it will cost to establish a water conservation office and to set up a drought monitoring system, both of which are called for in the drought plan submitted to the governor. Finalization of the plan awaits Ms. Napolitano’s planned “listening tour” around the state on water issues.

“The one-two punch of record drought and record growth demands that we embark on a new era of water management in Arizona,” Ms. Napolitano concluded.

That new era, says Ms. Sklar, will see “substantive” new water policy, but, “It’s not going to be earth-shattering.”

Arizona Town Hall is a non-profit organization that holds forums on state issues and makes public policy recommendations.

Ms. Sklar described the Arizona Town Hall meeting, which was attended by numerous officials from local, state, federal and tribal governments, as “cordial, with very little contention.” —