Gov. Katie Hobbs announced in her annual State of the State address on Monday that a depleted groundwater basin in La Paz county will now be subject to conservation measures.
The Ranegras Plain Basin is Arizona’s newest Active Management Area, where groundwater pumping will be restricted. The state department of water resources initiated the process in November.
It’s the second time the Hobbs administration has created a new AMA.
With this week’s new designation, there are now eight such areas in the state.
Hobbs said the new protections will "crack down on the out of state special interests that are pumping our state dry while Arizona families and farmers suffer."
This announcement comes after both Hobbs and Attorney General Kris Mayes have taken action over the last few years against Saudi Arabian firm Fondomonte, which pumps groundwater in the Ranegras Plain Basin to grow alfalfa.
“Why do we need another AMA? Because in the Ranegras Plain Groundwater Basin, the land is sinking and legislators are shirking their responsibility,” Hobbs said.
Democrats and Republicans agree that the state should develop an alternative to AMAs specific to rural parts of Arizona, but they’ve been unable to agree on a legislative solution.
In the meantime, Hobbs has said AMAs for groundwater in places like the Ranegras Plain Basin are the best and only conservation option at her disposal.
“For years, the people of La Paz County have watched our wells drop and our future get pumped away while we asked the State Legislature to act, even driving hours across the state multiple times for years to support potential solutions,” La Paz County Supervisor Holly Irwin said in a statement. “We asked for a rural management tool that would fit our unique needs. Year after year, those pleas fell on deaf ears. Today, we’ve finally been heard. Thank you Governor Katie Hobbs and Arizona Department of Water Resources Director Tom Buschatzke.”
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On Sept. 8, KJZZ water reporter Alex Hager presented your questions and concerns to a panel of experts.
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