(Disclosure: Rose Law Group represents property owners in advocacy of this bill.)
Jordan Rose, founder and president of Rose Law Group who represents hundreds of property owners in the Pinal County area, tells RLGR: “This is one of the biggest things to happen in water since 1980 and we were honored to be involved.”
By Bob Christie | Capitol Media Services
Legislation designed to save huge amounts of water by allowing farmers across central Arizona to sell their land and associated groundwater rights to developers who must limit future pumping was signed into law Monday by Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs.
The Democrat said the legislation will preserve the state’s limited supply of groundwater while allowing growth to continue, create jobs and help lower the price of new homes.
“This historic legislation represents a win-win solution for Arizona’s water future,” said Casa Grande Mayor Lisa Navarro Fitzgibbons. “By allowing the conversion of agricultural water rights to urban use, we’re creating a framework that reduces overall water consumption while supporting responsible growth in our communities.”
Senate Bill 1611 was in part prompted by a moratorium on issuing new certificates of 100-year assured water supplies builders must obtain from state water regulators that was imposed in 2023 over the Pinal and Phoenix “active management areas.’’ It didn’t bar new building if the area was served by an existing water supplier.
The halt that triggered screams from homebuilders was prompted by new analyses from the Arizona Department of Water Resources that showed there just wasn’t enough groundwater to support new housing.
Although the new law only initially applies to the Phoenix and Pinal AMAs created by the state’s landmark 1980 Groundwater Management Act, the Tucson AMA could be added to the new “ag to urban’’ program if a similar moratorium on development is issued there.
