DR Horton could bring more homes to Pinal County, without groundwater
In Pinal County, housing construction has not stopped, even as subdivisions with enough water for construction are steadily depleting. In fact, the number of residential units in the county increased by an estimated 3.5% from 2021 to 2022. Fastest speed in Arizona And one of the fastest in the country. But industry advocates warn that […]
An Arizona town is sinking. Experts blame groundwater pumping
Sinking is a symptom of a larger threat. La Paz County, Arizona — go to town Wendenwest of Phoenix, is a small farming town with lots of green fields. If you go there a year from now, you'll find it's nearly three inches lower than when you first saw it. That's because Wenden, along with […]
State Pension Fund Is Helping a Middle Eastern Firm Export Arizona’s Precious Groundwater – Mother Jones
A new groundwater pump was installed in 2017 for agricultural use in La Paz County, Arizona. Deborah Souza Silva This article is a collaboration between: mother jones and Revealed by the Investigative Reporting Center, a nonprofit investigative news organization.Please listen to this too reveal's accompanying podcast, 'Arizona's Great Water Acquisition” As a rural Arizonan Facing […]
State Pension Fund is Helping a Middle Eastern Firm Export Arizona’s Precious Groundwater
As rural Arizona residents face the prospect of their wells running dry, foreign companies are siphoning the state's vast groundwater to grow hay for Saudi Arabia and other wealthy countries. Now it turns out that the primary investor in the water transfer plan is Arizona's own employee retirement fund. In La Paz County, a rural […]
Rural Arizona has gone decades without groundwater regulations. That could soon change | Cochise County
This article was first published internal climate news, a nonprofit, independent news organization covering climate, energy, and the environment. Republished with permission.Sign up for our newsletter here. It's been about 10 years since Stephen Kissiel's well in Willcox ran dry. In the years since, his neighbors, and other rural Arizonans across the state, have encountered […]
Hot-button use of Arizona groundwater for Saudi alfalfa is complex
PHOENIX — Gov. Katie Hobbs said she is considering whether changes to state law would give her the power to decide who can lease state land and what activities can be conducted there. In an extensive interview after Congress adjourned on Monday, Hobbes said the law generally ensures that state trust lands get the “best […]
Op-Ed: Why proposed rural groundwater control legislation is bad for Arizona
File photo by Luke Runyon/KUNC: Water from the Central Arizona Project spills into rural Pinal County. Column by Congressman Gail Griffin (R-LD19) There has been a lot of talk lately about a local groundwater bill not being considered by the Arizona legislature. Over the years, the proposed legislation has been called various names, including “Groundwater […]
Cochise County officials throw out ballot initiative to remove Douglas groundwater regulations
Less than a year ago, voters in the city of Douglas approved a ballot initiative to impose stricter groundwater regulations through so-called active management areas. After county officials launch another effort to eliminate AMA, the system will remain in place, at least for now. While Arizona has other actively managed areas, the Douglas AMA in […]
Arizona’s groundwater supplies are essentially unregulated. That means rural wells are drying up
Ron Dungan/KJZZ Most of the groundwater in rural Arizona is unregulated. Temperatures are well over 100 degrees, but it’s easy to forget that the Arizona desert sits on top of an underground water basin formed during the Ice Age. Rural communities in the state depend on that water, which experts say is a finite resource. […]
Loophole in groundwater law could lead to more rental homes in Buckeye
The rise in ready-made homes in the West Valley and elsewhere could come as a result of what one expert called an oversight of the state’s groundwater laws. If the land is to be divided into six or more parcels, the developer must obtain a 100-year guaranteed water supply certificate from the Arizona Department of […]
