Secure rural Arizonans’ water future now 

Many Arizonans were optimistic for this year’s legislative session, anticipating our elected officials would fulfill the promises made by the governor and the Arizona Legislature, and finally take action to prioritize rural Arizona’s water future and protect our state’s valuable, dwindling groundwater supplies.

Under the current status quo, there are very few options to safeguard our groundwater in Arizona – often the only water supply in rural Arizona. But rural Arizonans know this all too well, and for the more than 1.5 million residents impacted by groundwater uncertainty each year, there is no more significant issue affecting the state. In fact, a recent poll from the Water for Arizona Coalition found that nearly 70% of likely rural Arizona voters said the current water issues facing the state are a major crisis.

Yet here we are again – on the verge of ending another legislative session with the water needs of rural Arizona communities going unaddressed, despite many opportunities for lawmakers to pass legislation on groundwater management with wide bipartisan support. Take the proposed Local Groundwater Stewardship Area bills (SB1306 & HB27131), for example. As members of a group of rural stakeholders that helped inform the Local Groundwater Stewardship Area proposal, our goal with this new policy initiative is to create a much-needed tool for Arizonans to effectively manage water resources in locally adaptable ways that meet the unique needs and conditions of rural areas.

Addressing Arizona’s unregulated groundwater pumping crisis requires more than a “one size fits all” approach. Rural communities should not be left to pick between options designed for urban areas or no aid at all. Active Management Areas and Irrigation Non-Expansion Areas are not necessarily always the best fit for rural Arizona, yet so far, the Legislature has offered us no alternative.

That is why rural stakeholders with multiple interests are pushing for the passage of Local Groundwater Stewardship Areas. Stewardship Areas offer an alternative that empowers residents with choice while ensuring transparency and accountability on the local level and through the Arizona Department of Water Resources. If the Legislature passes this bill, it will finally put rural communities in the driver’s seat over their water future.

The communities and individuals in rural Arizona cannot afford to be left behind again – time is running out. More rural areas will suffer as groundwater supplies dwindle, wells run dry, and local food and water supplies hang in the balance. It is imperative that legislation for a tool like Local Groundwater Stewardship Areas, which provides an opt-in, locally adaptable well-balanced approach to groundwater management passes this year.

To the members of the Arizona Legislature and the governor – we ask for your leadership on water for the State of Arizona, for all our communities. Act now, before it is too late. Before the critical groundwater supplies rural Arizona relies on to support livelihoods, communities, and local economies are lost. For the sake of rural Arizona’s future generations, we ask that you pass Local Groundwater Stewardship Area legislation this year.

Ron Doba is executive director of the Northern Arizona Municipal Water Users Association and Prescott Mayor Phil Goode is board chair of the Northern Arizona Municipal Water Users Association.