By Reagan Priest | Arizona Capitol Times
Key Points:
- Officials celebrated the passage of Ag-to-Urban groundwater legislation on July 29, but noted more work needs to be done
- Gov. Katie Hobbs and Republican Sen. T.J. Shope are setting their sights on ongoing Colorado River negotiations
- Shope said lawmakers are beginning to discuss a “game plan” for legislative approval of a potential Colorado River agreement
Arizona officials are celebrating the passage of new groundwater legislation, but setting their sights on getting Colorado River negotiations across the finish line in 2026.
At a bill signing for Sen. T.J. Shope’s “Ag-to-Urban” legislation, Gov. Katie Hobbs, state lawmakers, local officials and farmers said the bill was a step in the right direction for water conservation. But almost all of those officials also acknowledged that it is only one piece of the puzzle.
The legislation allows housing developers operating under water restrictions to purchase the water rights of farmers heading into retirement. The governor anticipates it will result in the construction of tens of thousands of homes and the conservation of 10 million acre-feet of water, yet that alone may not be enough.
