He said a plan drawn up in 1991 allowed the state to reverse its decision to slow development of Phoenix.

Yuma, Arizona (KECY, KYMA) – Arizona’s population continues to grow, but water supplies have dwindled over the course of two decades of drought.

Local lawmaker Tim Dunn said the state could go both ways with all available resources.

“We want to ship 90 percent of our domestic vegetables out of Yuma, Arizona. We don’t want our water shipped anywhere else,” Dunn said.

Dunn said recent state plans to curb new development in Phoenix are wrong.

Claims decisions were made based on historical water usage rather than current data.

“We don’t see any efficiency gains or new water influx in this model,” says Dunn.

Dunn added that the state government set aside groundwater reservoirs for use as “water savings accounts” in 1991.

But the government has yet to authorize a withdrawal because it would have to approve the transfer of all water except the Colorado River.

This is a concern for Yuma, as the city and county are suing the Reclamation Authority over the transfer of river water to Queen Creek.

“This will reduce the pressure on the river and create a place where Queen Creek and other cities don’t have to come to Yuma to fetch water,” Dunn said.

Dan, it’s good for Yuma to have the added growth in Phoenix eventually, and growth elsewhere in the state doesn’t have to hurt us.

“Phoenix growth grows all over rural Arizona. We have plans to use water from those transfer ponds without using Yuma water,” Dunn said.

Dunn also spearheaded the Water Irrigation Efficiency Program, making subsidies available from the state for farmers to upgrade their irrigation systems.

You can apply for a grant on the University of Arizona website at this link.