Groundwater is drying up. Rural Arizona needs rules to manage it, now
We welcomed Governor Katie Hobbs when she took office Focus on water challenges The need for bipartisan solutions. She “emphasized the need to protect groundwater supplies, especially in rural areas.” She added: “The result is that new water users move in, dig wells, and get as much water as possible even as it depletes the […]
Arizona agency failing to protect groundwater
PHOENIX — State Attorney General Chris Mays has accused the Arizona Department of Water Resources for not doing its job of protecting groundwater. In a letter to director Tom Buschatzke published on Friday, Mays asked whether the ADWR should have new “actively managed areas” where legal restrictions would be placed on groundwater abstraction and use […]
Mohave County supports effort to pass rural groundwater legislation | Local News Stories
More than half of the Arizona legislature includes representatives from across Arizona for the first time. And with new governors taking office this year, at least four counties are now trying to educate their legislators and pass laws to protect local groundwater supplies. The Mojave County Board of Supervisors is pleased to participate in a […]
Facing drought, Western states seek to deny groundwater to foreign companies
A land deal approved by Arizona officials years ago has sparked turmoil in the state amid growing fears of a drought. Fondmonte, a subsidiary of Saudi dairy giant Almaray, has acquired approximately 10,000 acres of land from the province at well below market prices. The company didn’t have to buy an unlimited amount of pumped […]
Cochise voters approve one groundwater plan, reject another
Voters on Tuesday approved a plan to regulate groundwater use in southeastern Arizona, using the referendum initiative for the first time to create an active management area in the Douglas Basin. But voters rejected a second step to create a similar controlled area in the adjacent Wilcox Basin. There, groundwater withdrawal will continue to remain […]
Facing drought, Western states seek to deny groundwater to foreign companies | News
WASHINGTON, DC — Just off a dry highway in western Arizona, a Saudi dairy company pumps unlimited groundwater from beneath its fields and uses it to grow thousands of acres of alfalfa and bales of hay. We have shipped over 1 million kilograms of feed to cattle overseas. 8,000 miles away. Arizona authorities now want […]
Facing Drought, Western States Seek to Deny Groundwater to Foreigners
read more stateline Coverage on how communities in the West are coping with droughts that are worsening due to climate change. Just off a dry highway in western Arizona, a Saudi dairy company pumps unlimited groundwater from beneath its fields and uses it to grow thousands of acres of alfalfa and ship hay bales overseas. […]
Willcox Groundwater Basin AMA petition signatures certified for November ballot
Photo of contributed file: Arizona Water Advocate Chair Ashley Dahlke and Treasurer Rebecca Wills voted more than needed to set up an active management area for the Wilcox Groundwater Basin in the November ballot. I am preparing to submit a petition with the signatures of AWD was recently notified that more signatures than required were […]
Groundwater mostly unregulated, impacts rural areas
A researcher measures the dimensions of the well. Groundwater is one of the primary water resources for most states, but it is limited and largely unregulated, especially in rural areas that rely solely on groundwater. (Photo credit: Scott Stuk/Arizona Department of Water Resources) Groundwater is one of Arizona’s most important water resources. It is finite […]
Coalition hopes to gain traction statewide to preserve Arizona groundwater | Cochise County
“We live in the desert. Let’s act like the desert” is the mantra of a coalesced statewide movement to protect and conserve Arizona’s groundwater. Because the state legislature has not taken any actionable action on the problem of water shortages. The Arizona Sustainable Water Network Coalition, Cochise County Groundwater Guardians, and others are uniting conservation […]
