The state is creating an ‘active management area’ in the western part of the state, where agribusinesses including a Saudi alfalfa exporter have practically free rein over water supplies.
Arizona Governor Katie Hobbes announced the formation of an active management area in the western part of the state, prompting stricter monitoring and water conservation standards in an area popular for agriculture.
As Sejal Govindarao explains in The Independent, the governor’s announcement “followed a determination by the Arizona Department of Water Resources that plummeting water levels are causing land within the Ranegras Plain Groundwater Basin to sink, which impacts the amount of water that can be held underground.”
Water users in the Ranegras Plain Groundwater Basin will have to track and report their water usage. “The new rules allow for a management plan formed by the Arizona Department of Water Resources and locals, as well as requirements for conserving water.”
According to Govindarao, “The new set of regulations are subject to being challenged administratively or through the courts” by industry groups who say the rules are too stringent and amount to a threat to the local economy.
Read the full story: Drought-stricken Arizona moves to curb groundwater use in more rural areas
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