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Mohave County Residents Worry About Groundwater Pumping

State officials say they will continue to monitor water levels in northwest Arizona in case new restrictions are needed.

The Department of Water Resources held a meeting there recently to address growing concerns.

In recent years, agriculture has increased substantially in portions of Mohave County and with that so too has the pumping of aquifers. That has stoked fears among residents and local lawmakers about losing a critical water source for the City of Kingman and other nearby communities. State estimates show thousands of new acres of farmland north of Kingman and about 23,000 acre feet of groundwater pumping

Denise Bensoussan, a resident, said the state needs to place restrictions on groundwater pumping immediately.

“Right now it’s too late. We are depleting. No one is doing anything about it,” she said.

In much of rural Arizona, including Mohave County, there are practically no restrictions on pumping. Citizens can petition the state to institute regulations, or the head of the Department of Water Resources can do so.

State officials said they will continue to monitor the situation and consider the various options. 

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