KJZZ is a service of Rio Salado College,
and Maricopa Community Colleges

Copyright © 2025 KJZZ/Rio Salado College/MCCCD
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Arizona Legislation Would Let Counties Undo Groundwater Protections

clean water
Graphicstock
/
stock | stock

With the Colorado River in its 16th year of drought, the Arizona legislature is poised to give counties more leeway in undoing certain groundwater protections.

Thursday the House of Representatives passed SB1400, despite opposition from some lawmakers and the environmental community.

Democratic Representative Rosanna Gabaldon said loosening such regulations is a dangerous path to head down, especially because many praise Arizona for its forward thinking water policies, most notably the 1980 Groundwater Management Act.

“Passing this bill would be sidestepping that legacy and the responsibility to manage our resources,” Gabaldon said.

Most rural counties are not subject to the same groundwater regulations as the metro areas in the state, but counties can require that new subdivisions prove an adequate water supply before building. That approval comes in the form of a certificate from the Arizona Department of Water Resources.

SB1400, however, orders counties with such rules to periodically review and, if they so choose, reverse them.

Republican Representative Brenda Barton said that gives local governments more flexibility.

“This is only for two counties – Yuma and Cochise – who voluntarily establish this within their jurisdiction. It does require a unanimous vote” by the county supervisors to rescind the rules, she said.

Recently, the federal government sued to halt a development in Sierra Vista out of concern it would sap the San Pedro River, even though it had received approval.

The bill now heads to the senate. 

Will Stone was a senior field correspondent at KJZZ from 2015 to 2019.