By Noah Cullen | Pinal Central
CASA GRANDE — In the failure of state water legislation — intended to aid development and destress groundwater sources — disappointed Pinal officials and farmers are rallying together to put new proposals forward.
Gov. Katie Hobbs announced the veto in June of five separate but related water bills. She said she vetoed Senate Bill 1172, one of the five, which would have given farmers the ability to retire farmland for urban use, reducing the amount of water used, because it did not allow for “universal adoption” across Active Management Areas and the Pinal AMA in particular. Pinal County Supervisor Steve Miller, who also serves as vice chairman for the Pinal Groundwater Users Advisory Council, disagreed with the veto and the reasoning at the time, saying the bill would have been beneficial for Pinal.
Farmers and land developers alike have sought such legislation as a necessary response to current Arizona Department of Water Resources protective regulation on awarding water-use permits, which Miller and Pinal farmer Noah Hiscox, among others, say has stymied land development. The conversation has continued since the unexpected veto.
