The Arizona Department of Water Resources started accepting applications Friday from farmers who operate in areas where groundwater is protected.
The program is called ag-to-urban. It lets farmers sell their land and groundwater rights to housing developers.
The idea of ag-to-urban is to increase the state housing supply and conserve groundwater, because housing uses far less water than agriculture per acre. The legislation passed with bipartisan support last session and goes into effect now.
Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs touted the bill as “the most consequential piece of groundwater conservation legislation since the 1980 Groundwater Management Act.”
Hobbs’ office also projected that ag-to-urban “is projected to conserve nearly 10 million acre-feet over its lifetime and facilitate the development of tens of thousands of new homes.”
But ag-to-urban is a voluntary program, so its effectiveness depends on how many farmers choose to participate.
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The Scottsdale City Council this week once again declined to vote in favor of joining a lawsuit challenging a new state law. The measure essentially nullified a referendum in Scottsdale over a proposed development by Axon. -
A recent ruling from the Arizona Supreme Court seems to extend the right to self-defense in the state. -
Tempe now estimates that more than 1,000 homes and 83 businesses were damaged by the Oct. 13 microburst. But officials still don’t know how many people were displaced by the storm two weeks ago. -
The Trump administration is considering changes to federal funding for homeless services. Arizona advocates are concerned thousands of formerly homeless people could lose shelter as a result. -
The city is offering services to help provide emergency resources, food, and information on clearing debris to help those impacted.
