(Editor’s note: Opinion pieces are published for discussion purposes only.)
Rural interests have long balked at regulation to stop draining Arizona’s aquifers. But there are other ways to move forward
By Editorial board | Arizona Republic
Arizona is barreling toward a groundwater crisis – if it isn’t already facing one.
Aquifers across the state that took thousands of years to fill are depleting. An Arizona Republic analysis found that nearly 1 in 4 wells in the state’s groundwater monitoring program have dropped by at least 100 feet – a massive loss of water that experts say will likely never be replenished.
That has consequences. In Willcox, for example, a model released last year found that heavy water withdrawals have irreversibly shrunk the aquifer. Water levels have plummeted in recent years, and residential wells have gone dry as mega farms drill wells nearly 2,500 feet deep.
In Mohave County, another study estimates some areas may reach adequate water supply limits in just 60 years. Water levels also are plummeting as farming expands, though few have reported wells going dry.
Even urban areas in the state’s Active Management Areas – which have water allotments and reporting requirements – have seen water levels drop over time. Few are on track to reach safe yield, the long-term balance between the groundwater we withdraw and replenish.
