FLAGSTAFF, Arizona (AP) — The suburb of Kingman, Arizona was where pilots trained and recreational enthusiasts tested all-terrain vehicles.
With a climate similar to California’s Central Valley, the dry, empty landscape has since been transformed into something much greener, supporting pistachio and almond orchards and garlic and potato fields. It is supplied by groundwater, which is also supplied to the city of Mann.
The Arizona Department of Water Resources has set limits on the amount of land that can be watered and has designated the Hualapai Valley as a no-irrigation extension area. This means that he cannot farm if he has not farmed more than 2 acres in the last five years.
This is Arizona’s first designation in 40 years and highlights the struggles raging across the United States as water supplies dwindle and tensions rise between farmers and cities. Recently, a committee that advises the governor of Kansas voted to make historic recommendations to protect the Ogallala Aquifer, which has been used for decades to irrigate crops in arid regions.
In Arizona, elected officials said they supported the designation and hoped that residents would have access to affordable water in the future.
Some residents see the designation as an attack on their private property rights, and farmers, despite using the best available techniques to conserve I felt targeted.
“It’s really tricky” Kathy Tackett-Hicks, a consultant for Peacock Nuts, LLC, says about five square miles (13 square kilometers) of the valley are planted with pistachio trees. “No one is completely right, and no one is completely wrong.”
The Hualapai Valley stretches more than 60 miles (60 miles) from where the Colorado River leaves the Grand Canyon, south and east of Kingman, and encompasses small, unincorporated communities in Mojave County. By some estimates, about 22 square miles are irrigated.
Tom Buschatzke, the state’s director of water resources, said the rate of groundwater recharge was not keeping up with the amount being extracted. If action is not taken, 20 he will have one well out of production within 100 years, the agency said. In any case, groundwater levels are expected to fall.
The new designation does not limit the amount of water that can be used, but prohibits irrigating more land than has been produced in the last five years. This limit does not apply to those wishing to create a vegetable garden or farm on less than 2 acres.
Property owners with larger land who can demonstrate that they have made significant capital investments towards agriculture may also be exempt.
Meters must be installed in wells equipped to pump at least 35 gallons per minute, but this applies primarily to commercial operations. The amount of water used must also be reported to the state.
In Arizona, groundwater use is generally unregulated outside of metropolitan areas.
Elected officials in Mojave County first called for designation of non-expanded areas of irrigation in 2016, regulating what is expected to be the rapid and dramatic growth of corporate agriculture in the valley. The land is touted as ideal for growth, with few restrictions, well-maintained wells, favorable climate, and proximity to Interstate 40 and railroad lines.
The Water Resources Authority twice turned down requests for designation before agreeing to consider it this year because new data were available.
