Tag: arizona water

Water Awareness Month Festival Scheduled for April 5 is Canceled

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PRESS RELEASE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                                         March 26, 2025

Water Awareness Month Festival Scheduled for April 5 is Canceled

PHOENIX (March 26, 2025) – The annual Water Awareness Month Festival sponsored jointly by the Arizona Department of Water Resources (ADWR) and the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality (ADEQ) and scheduled this year at Wesley Bolin Plaza in Phoenix on Saturday, April 5, has been canceled.

Organizers of a nationwide protest event planned for that same day at the State Capitol have informed our agencies that they anticipate substantial attendance that may overflow onto the Plaza area. Out of an abundance of caution, ADWR and ADEQ have opted to cancel this year’s festival.

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For further information, contact:

ADWR: Shauna Evans, Public Information Officer | 602-771-8079 | smevans@azwater.gov

ADEQ: Alma Suarez, Deputy Public Information Officer for Water Quality | 480-670-0568 | suarez.alma@azdeq.gov

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ADWR Director expresses support for reintroduction of historic tribal water rights settlement

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PRESS RELEASE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                                         March 12, 2025

CONTACT: Doug MacEachern

PHONE: 602.771.8507

ADWR Director expresses support for reintroduction of historic tribal water rights settlement

Phoenix, AZ — Members of Arizona’s Congressional delegation from both sides of the aisle have led the way in reintroducing legislation to ratify and fund the historic Northeastern Arizona Indian Water Rights Settlement Agreement.

Arizona Senators Mark Kelly and Ruben Gallego, alongside Representatives Juan Ciscomani (R-AZ-06), Greg Stanton (D-AZ-04), David Schweikert (R-AZ-01), Raúl Grijalva (D-AZ-07) and Yassamin Ansari (D-AZ-03) announced on Tuesday the reintroduction of the vital legislation.

The bill was originally introduced in Congress last year to ratify and fund the settlement agreement entered into between the State of Arizona, the Navajo Nation, the Hopi Tribe, the San Juan Southern Paiute Tribe, and numerous other Arizona parties.

Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs signed the settlement agreement on November 19, 2024.

“Arizona’s congressional delegation is to be commended for leading the way in moving this legislation forward,” said Arizona Department of Water Resources Director Tom Buschatzke.

“Finalizing this crucial agreement, following decades of negotiation in some cases, constitutes a monumental ‘win’ for both the State of Arizona and the tribes,” said Buschatzke. “So, it is extremely gratifying to see our representatives from both sides of the political divide uniting behind this legislation.”

Congressional approval of the Act is vital to assuring clean and safe water supplies for the three Native American tribes.  Although estimates vary across the Navajo Nation, Hopi Tribe, and San Juan Southern Paiute Tribe reservations, approximately one-third of homes on the three reservations lack access to running water.

The legislation creates a reservation for the San Juan Southern Paiute Tribe, settles the Arizona water rights claims for all three Tribes, and authorizes $5.1 billion to acquire, build, and maintain much needed delivery infrastructure and water development projects, including the iiná bá – paa tuwaqat’si pipeline that will bring Colorado River water to the three reservations. Settlement water supplies include both Upper and Lower Basin Colorado River water, groundwater, and other surface water supplies.

The settlement also allows the Navajo Nation and the Hopi Tribe to lease a portion of their Colorado River supplies off-reservation, creating economic opportunities until on-reservation demand is met through new infrastructure.

The leasing authorization includes authorization to lease the Tribes’ Upper Basin Colorado River water for system conservation, which will provide a benefit to the Colorado River System.  The water has historically been used for system conservation.

For further information, contact ADWR communications administrator Doug MacEachern at dmaceachern@azwater.gov or 602.771.8507.

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Arizona Governor Hobbs proposes adding over $60 million to defend State’s water future

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PRESS RELEASE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                                         January 30, 2025

CONTACT: Doug MacEachern

PHONE: 602.771.8507

ARIZONA GOVERNOR HOBBS PROPOSES ADDING OVER $60 MILLION TO DEFEND STATE’S WATER FUTURE

A breakdown of water-related investments included in the recently released Executive Budget proposal from Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs:

  • $14.6M Deposit to WIFA Water Conservation Grant Fund

Governor Hobbs has now allocated $14.6 million to the Water Conservation Grant Fund to enable the Water Infrastructure Finance Authority (WIFA) to continue investing in generational water conservation projects.

Thanks to $200 million awarded by the State in federal funds allocated through the American Rescue Plan Act, WIFA has been able to fund conservation-focused projects across Arizona. To date, WIFA has funded over 150 water conservation projects. The Governor’s 2025 Executive Budget proposal includes investments in current and future water solutions, including WIFA’s funding for rural water supply development and long-term augmentation.

These critical resources will help ensure that rural areas can invest in the infrastructure they need to be water resilient, statewide efforts continue their investment in the infrastructure Arizona needs to find sustainable, renewable water supplies for the future. These investments speak directly to the mission of WIFA, which has been to augment and expand Arizona’s water supplies.

  • $12M Grant for City of Buckeye Renewable Water Infrastructure

By enrolling in the new Alternative Designation of 100-year Assured Water Supply (ADAWS) Program, the City of Buckeye has committed to increasing the sustainability of its water resource portfolio, a major step forward toward creating sustainable growth. This allocation of $12 million will help Buckeye build infrastructure to reuse its effluent supplies and recover them from a hydrologically connected area; facilitating sustainable growth and increased use of renewable water supplies.

  • $7M Statewide Groundwater Monitoring and Data Collection

These allocations will provide ADWR with much needed additional tools to  ensure that Arizona’s groundwater resources are properly managed and protected. Governor Hobbs has invested $7 million to ADWR to install groundwater monitoring index wells throughout rural Arizona to observe declining groundwater levels and inform ongoing groundwater protection efforts. Without these index wells, ADWR hydrologists are less able to accurately assess the health of groundwater supplies in rural areas.

  • $5.5M For ADWR Hydrogeologic Studies in Priority Groundwater Basins

To help rural communities understand and protect their groundwater supplies, ADWR hydrologists create groundwater models that help water managers and community leaders understand the conditions of their aquifers. This $5.5 million investment will allow ADWR hydrogeologists to collect key hydrogeologic information to build these critical models in groundwater basins experiencing severe water declines.

  • $3.45M ADWR Leading Edge Satellite Water Monitoring Systems & Equipment

This investment with ADWR funds the acquisition and use of cutting-edge technologies including absolute gravity survey equipment to monitor aquifer conditions, funding for the Arizona Continuously Operating Reference Stations (AZCORS) Network that provides critical GPS data for scientists, engineers, and surveyors throughout Arizona. It provides funds for satellite monitoring of statewide water demand, and funding for ADWR contractual partnerships with the US Geological Survey (USGS) to collect key water use data.

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Governor’s Executive Budget Proposal Includes Funding for Key ADWR Initiatives

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PRESS RELEASE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                                         January 17, 2025

CONTACT: Doug MacEachern

PHONE: 602.771.8507

GOVERNOR’S EXECUTIVE BUDGET PROPOSAL INCLUDES FUNDING FOR KEY ADWR INITIATIVES

Funding for Arizona’s on-going efforts to protect groundwater resources and to prepare for possible litigation over management of the Colorado River

Phoenix, AZ — Today Governor Hobbs released her FY2026 Executive Budget, which funds critical ADWR programs and efforts, including our expanding efforts to actively manage groundwater resources in previously unregulated areas of rural Arizona and to prepare for the possibility of litigation to defend the State’s Colorado River allocation.

While managing current endeavors, ADWR has taken on the State’s next generation of water challenges.

Those new challenges include:

  • Assisting an increasing number of Arizonans in rural communities who now have groundwater protections for the first time ever.
  • Helping builders to find a new path to build more homes in Arizona’s urban centers while reducing reliance on groundwater.
  • Partnering with Tribes whose efforts to reach agreement on water rights are now bearing fruit as a result of successful negotiations with the State and local parties.

Decades of drought in the Southwest, as well as significant increases in groundwater mining in recent years in rural areas, have prompted the ADWR Director to take action, including designating earlier this year Arizona’s seventh Active Management Area (AMA) in the Willcox Basin region.

The new Willcox AMA, along with the Douglas AMA established in 2022 in southern Arizona, together represent the first-ever expansions of groundwater basins actively managed by the Department since the enactment of Arizona’s landmark Groundwater Management Act of 1980.

As a result, ADWR is preparing to advance its efforts to monitor commercial groundwater extraction, assist local communities in establishing groundwater-protection goals and assure that new-home construction in the new Willcox AMA conforms to the requirements of the Groundwater Management Act, including assuring new-home buyers of at least a 100-year water supply.

To keep up with this work on behalf of Arizonans, ADWR must strengthen its team of highly skilled, technical professionals. The Executive Budget includes an ongoing General Fund appropriation of $741,300 to add 6.0 FTE positions across the agency to meet the demanding water policy challenges facing Arizona.

Governor Hobbs’ budget proposal also includes funding to protect the State’s vital Colorado River supplies in the event negotiations on new operating rules for the river falter, prompting legal action.

The Executive Budget creates a Colorado River Litigation Fund with a $1 million General Fund deposit and a transfer of $2 million from prior non-lapsing special line items for Colorado River legal expenses, for a total investment of $3 million.

“If the collaborative and cooperative partnership we have fostered in these negotiations does not bear fruit, Arizona may need to take legal action to protect its current 2.8 million acre feet of Colorado River entitlement,” said Director Tom Buschatzke.

“Litigation is not a path we wish to go down. It can be a very lengthy and expensive process.”

“Nevertheless, this proposed budget demonstrates a significant commitment by Governor Hobbs to support Arizona’s commitment to protecting its entitlement from the Colorado River,” he said.

The current guidelines for the operation and management of the Colorado River system expire at the end of calendar year 2026. Arizona and the six other Basin States are negotiating the post-2026 guidelines with the federal Bureau of Reclamation in order to develop a framework that more sustainably manages the Colorado River system.

The Director of ADWR serves as Arizona’s lead negotiator and is charged with protecting the State’s 2.8 million acre-feet entitlement of Colorado River water, representing as much as 40 percent of the State’s water supply.

While Arizona is committed to collaboration and cooperation with its Basin States partners, it is possible that new guidelines or the absence of a negotiated outcome could result in litigation among the Basin States.

Arizona continues to pursue good-faith negotiations that hopefully will result in a consensus outcome for more sustainable Colorado River management. At the same time, this appropriation ensures that ADWR has the resources to defend Arizona’s interests and water users who depend on the State’s precious Colorado River entitlement.

Major ADWR initiatives funded in the Governor’s budget proposal include:

  • $741,300 ongoing from the General Fund to add 6.0 FTE positions across the agency.
  • $1 million General Fund deposit and a transfer of $2 million from prior non-lapsing special line items for Colorado River legal expenses, for a total investment of $3 million.

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ADWR Director finds active management practices in the Willcox Basin are necessary

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PRESS RELEASE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                                         December 20, 2024

CONTACT: Doug MacEachern & Shauna Evans

PHONE: 602.771.8507 or 602.771.8079

ADWR Director finds active management practices in the Willcox Basin are necessary

PHOENIX- The Director of the Arizona Department of Water Resources has determined that the Willcox Groundwater Basin meets the criteria for designation of an Active Management Area (AMA) as set forth in A.R.S. § 45-412(A).

Those criteria include:

  • Active management practices are necessary to preserve the existing supply of groundwater – the area’s only dependable water source – for future needs; and
  • Land subsidence or fissuring is endangering property or potential groundwater storage capacity.

As a result of careful analysis of data related to hydrologic conditions in the Willcox Basin, the statutory criteria are met.

“This decision by me goes to the heart of our State’s landmark 1980 groundwater protection legislation which invests in the ADWR Director the duty to take necessary steps to defend our groundwater supplies for future generations,” said Director Tom Buschatzke.

“As my staff has made clear in public hearings held in Willcox and in response to comments on our presentations from members of the public, the hydrologic conditions in the basin meet the statutory requirements.”

The Willcox Groundwater Basin AMA is the seventh AMA in the state and is the first to be created by a decision of the ADWR Director as authorized in A.R.S. § 45-414. It is the second AMA to be created in the last two years.

The Douglas AMA came into being as a result of a November 8, 2022 vote by the region’s residents. That AMA was designated on December 1, 2022.

The Director’s decision follows a substantial public process, including a public meeting on September 26 to provide information on hydrologic conditions and to answer questions from residents.

Pursuant to A.R.S. § 45-413, the Department then held a public hearing in Willcox on November 22, 2024. At that hearing, the Department presented factual data related to hydrologic conditions in the Basin, including data on water level measurements that the Department collected from monitoring wells in the Basin, land subsidence data, and earth fissure maps and photos.

The Department also received oral comments and evidence at the November public hearing and accepted written comments and evidence. In total, 38 people provided oral comments and evidence. The Department also received 423 written comments and evidence.

The boundaries of the Willcox AMA encompass the entire Willcox Groundwater Basin. The Basin is generally located in the northern Sulfur Springs Valley and is the entire surface watershed area that contributes to Willcox Playa, plus the upper watersheds of Leslie Creek and Rucker Canyon that lie east of the Swisshelm Mountains in the Whitewater Draw watershed.

The only dependable water source in the Basin is groundwater, which is used for agricultural, domestic, and municipal water supply.

Additional information can be found on ADWR’s website at: azwater.gov/ama/willcox-ama

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The Arizona Department Of Water Resources To Hold A Public Hearing On The Proposed Active Management Area Within The Willcox Groundwater Basin

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PRESS RELEASE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                                         October 23, 2024

The Arizona Department Of Water Resources To Hold A Public Hearing On The Proposed Active Management Area Within The Willcox Groundwater Basin

PHOENIX- Today, the Arizona Department of Water Resources (ADWR) published a notice that it will hold a public hearing to present factual data and receive comments and evidence on whether the Director should designate an active management area within the boundaries of the Willcox Groundwater Basin in Cochise and Graham Counties (Proposed AMA).

An informational session was held on September 26, 2024, to provide information about the status of the Willcox Groundwater Basin, including hydrologic conditions and management options.

The hearing will be held at the Willcox Community Center on Friday, November 22, 2024, beginning at 1:00 P.M.

Written comments not submitted at the hearing described above must be received no later than 5:00 P.M. on November 22, 2024, by mail or hand-delivery. Electronic or faxed submissions must be submitted prior to midnight on November 22, 2024, to:

Sharon Scantlebury
Docket Supervisor
Arizona Department of Water Resources
1110 W. Washington, Suite 310
Phoenix, AZ 85007
(602) 771-8686 (fax)
sscantlebury@azwater.gov

Additional information can be found on ADWR’s website at: https://www.azwater.gov/find-info-on/how-do-i/willcox-groundwater-basin.  

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Arizona Department of Water Resources field hydrologists conducting “basin sweep” to collect water level measurements in the Northwest Basins Planning Area

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PRESS RELEASE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                                         February 27, 2023

Arizona Department of Water Resources field hydrologists conducting “basin sweep” to collect water level measurements in the Northwest Basins Planning Area

PHOENIX- Beginning the week of February 27th, 2023, and continuing through April 2023, Arizona Department of Water Resources (ADWR) field services staff will make an extensive effort to measure water levels in wells in the Northwest Basins Planning Area. This survey of wells – or basin “sweep,” as it is known – was last conducted during the Spring of 2018. 

The data collected will be analyzed and used to obtain a comprehensive overview of the groundwater conditions and used to support scientific and water management planning efforts. Among others, data uses will include:

  • Analysis of water-level trends
  • Groundwater modeling
  • Water-level change maps
  • Hydrologic reports
  • Water resource planning and management.

The Northwest Basins Planning Area is located in the far northwest portion of the State and comprises the Detrital, Hualapai (Hualapai INA), Meadview, and Sacramento Valley Groundwater Basins. The Planning Area lies within Mohave County. The City of Kingman is the largest community in the Planning Area.

For more information regarding this matter, please contact Public Information Officer Shauna Evans at smevans@azwater.gov or (602) 771-8079. Details about the nature of basin sweeps and groundwater modeling can be found here. If you would like to volunteer your well for participation in this groundwater survey please contact the Hydrology Division at (602) 771-8535.

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New “Water Book” outlines Arizona’s path forward on water

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The Governor’s Office has released “Securing Arizona’s Water Future,” an illustrated outline of Governor Ducey’s plan for taking action to help secure the State’s water supplies.

The “water book,” as it is known, is available on the Governor’s website.

It escorts readers through Arizona’s storied (and, often, trailblazing) history of water management, including a candid outline of the challenges now facing the State in this era of drought. It also proposes legislative solutions to those issues.

Arizona is a renowned leader in water management thanks to its long history of careful planning and effective governance. But, with the State facing serious challenges to some of its key water supplies, the Governor’s Office asserts that the time to act on water policy is now.

Governor Ducey has prioritized Arizona’s water future as one of the most crucial policy issues facing the State. He highlighted the issue in his 2018 State of the State address:

“Earning Arizona’s reputation as a national leader in water management was no easy feat and it didn’t happen by accident. It was the proactive nature of our predecessors, and our state’s willingness to take-on complex issues.

“This session, we must follow their lead and put forward responsible policies that will ensure Arizona speaks with one-voice to secure the state’s future for generations to come.”

As the water book illustrates, Arizona relies on the Colorado River for 40 percent of its water supply. Unfortunately, the Colorado River system has experienced severe drought conditions for more than 17 years. Lake Mead, a vital reservoir on the Colorado River, is less than 40 percent full.

Lake Mead water levels are important because they determine whether a shortage is declared in the State’s Colorado River allocation, which would result in decreased delivery levels of water.

Based on data from the Bureau of Reclamation, the threat of a shortage declaration by the Bureau at Lake Mead is real.

Building on Arizona’s history of responsible initiatives, the Governor’s Office has proposed a plan that focuses on strategic conservation.

The plan also calls for protecting consumers through responsible groundwater management and by speaking with one voice on water-management issues, particularly regarding the Colorado River.

Governor Ducey’s plan would better enable voluntary conservation of Colorado River water by providing the State with forbearance authority relating to specified circumstances. This would contribute to higher Lake Mead elevations, reducing the likelihood of a shortage and providing increased protection from the economic consequences of water-delivery reductions.

With an eye toward achieving the management goals of Active Management Areas (the geographic areas created through Arizona’s landmark 1980 Groundwater Management Act), the Governor’s proposal would also establish an advisory committee to monitor the progress of AMAs.

Finally, since decisions about Arizona’s water supply affect the entire state, the Governor’s plan ensures accountability by requiring State authorization before entering into interstate deals involving Colorado River water.

Water Resources Director to testify before Senate committee on Hualapai water settlement legislation

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hualapai skywalk

The Hualapai Tribe’s famous “Skywalk” attraction overlooking the Grand Canyon

Arizona Department of Water Resources Director Tom Buschatzke will testify on Wednesday, Dec. 6, before the Senate Indian Affairs Committee on legislation that would provide the Hualapai Tribe of northwestern Arizona with 4,000 acre-feet of Colorado River water annually.

In 2016, the Tribe agreed to a settlement of its long-standing claim to Colorado River water. The legislation – S. 1770, introduced by Arizona Sens. Jeff Flake and John McCain — secures the 2016 agreement.

The agreement ensures that the tribe’s previously outstanding water claims could not potentially displace water used by other customers that also rely on the Colorado and Verde rivers. As a result, the agreement helps provide certainty for water users throughout Arizona.

In addition to its claim to Colorado River water, the Tribe also has a claim to water of the Upper Verde River watershed.

At the time of the settlement agreement, Director Buschatzke noted that the settlement of tribal water-rights claims “has long been a top strategic priority for the State.”

“The resolution of the Hualapai Tribe’s water-rights claims, including its claims to Colorado River water, is a major step to providing long-term certainty to water-users throughout the State,” said  Buschatzke.

“This settlement will allow the Hualapai Tribe to enjoy the assurance of a secure and dependable water supply to its communities. Senator John McCain and Senator Jeff Flake deserve great credit for sponsoring this settlement legislation in the Senate.”

The Senate Indian Affairs Committee hearing on the proposed legislation — known as the Hualapai Tribe Water Rights Settlement Act — is scheduled for 12:30 p.m. (MST).