Arizona’s Senate has passed a plan to manage rural groundwater, but final success is uncertain

PHOENIX (AP) — A plan to manage rural groundwater passed Arizona’s Republican-controlled Senate on Thursday amid growing concerns about the availability of sufficient water for future generations in the arid Southwestern state.

The legislation now heads to the House, which the GOP also controls. Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs has expressed opposition to the bill, complaining that an earlier version that she backed offered better ways to ensure water conservation but failed to get a hearing in the Legislature.

“This legislation leaves rural Arizonans without a real solution for how their groundwater is managed,” Hobbs’ spokesperson Christian Slater said Thursday. “Governor Hobbs is dedicated to continued work with stakeholders and legislators, including Senator Kerr, to find a better way forward that truly gives rural Arizonans a say in how their groundwater is managed and provides a sustainable and secure water future for generations to come.”

The proposed legislation would mark a significant update to Arizona’s 1980 Groundwater Management Act overseeing groundwater use. That law transferred oversight for Arizona water laws from the State Land Department to a new Department of Water Resources and created four “active management areas” in the most populated parts of Arizona, such as Phoenix.

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