The Arizona Republic
Well, shucks, said the folks at the Arizona Department of Water Resources, we just don’t have the authority to protect that rare free-flowing river in the desert.
Or maybe they just lacked the gumption.
Either way, the state’s bumbling could spell doom for the San Pedro Riparian National Conservation Area.
Three legal challenges were filed after the Department of Water Resources failed to connect the hydrological dots between groundwater and surface flow. A court decision could protect the San Pedro and clarify the state’s role in guarding important river ecosystems. Or it could demonstrate how utterly inadequate the state’s authority over water really is.
Either way, this is important.
Related: [OPINION] How to protect our water supply | The Arizona Republic
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