This La Paz supervisor has been calling for a new AMA for years. The county finally got one

The state has created a new active management area — the eighth in Arizona. That means there will now be rules on groundwater pumping in this basin, located in La Paz County in western Arizona.

The Arizona Department of Water Resources, known as ADWR, started the process of looking into making the designation this past fall. Gov. Katie Hobbs announced the new active management area, known as AMA, during her State of the State speech last week.

La Paz County Supervisor Holly Irwin has been calling for a new AMA in her part of the state for years. She joined The Show to talk about its creation.

Full conversation

MARK BRODIE: So what is the current situation in La Paz County as it relates to groundwater?

HOLLY IRWIN: I can honestly say being with two bills that got introduced last week just after the AMA was announced, I take a look at our situation in La Paz County as being the sacrificial lamb to supplement water to the urban areas.

BRODIE: How so?

IRWIN: Because we do have three basins that were created as transfer basins back in 1991, and that includes Butler Valley, Harquehala and also McMullen Valley Basin. And two bills just got dropped on Thursday in relating to Butler Valley and McMullen Valley.

So — which is very concerning because we did get protection, you know, with the AMA that was created. And I'm extremely grateful to Gov. Hobbs for paying attention to rural Arizona and the residents that have been calling for protection. But now the fight's not over. We have to now try to protect the other ones from water moving out of our county.

Holly Irwin

BRODIE: And just to clarify, transfer basins means that that water can be moved to another place. Maricopa County, Pima County, a place like that?

IRWIN: That's correct. Yes.

BRODIE: So what are these new bills aiming to do? What is the concern that that in your mind that they would do?

IRWIN: Well, you know, any water that leaves a county to supplement another, I think would be detrimental to the county that currently holds those basins and that water. We were already experiencing land subsidence, wells going dry within the McMullen Valley Basin. And now there's legislation dropped to allow for water to be moved out of that area when we're already experiencing some hardships with our basins in certain areas of La Paz County.

BRODIE: So, how comfortable do you feel then with this new AMA? I don't want to put words in your mouth, but it sounds like it's great, but you don't feel all that comfortable?

IRWIN: No, I'm very comfortable with the AMA designation for Ranegras Plain Basin. That basin is the only one in La Paz County that was not included in the 1991 Transportation Act. But it currently does not have any protection on it up until now, with the efforts of Gov. Hobbs and ADWR, to create that AMA to allow for protections to be on that basin. So it was critical.

BRODIE: Okay. What have you heard from your constituents and your neighbors, both about the new AMA designation, but also maybe about these other bills dealing with the other basins?

IRWIN: Well, the constituents are ecstatic. ... They believe it's a long time coming. I think that they finally believe that their voices were heard. It's unfortunate that it's not being allocated throughout the other basins, you know, with the transportation statute that's in place on those. They're extremely concerned. Like I said, the bills just got dropped last week. So I'm not sure how much of it is out there yet to the public. I've been reaching out to my constituency to let them be aware that this is something that, you know, we have to fight against and not allow for water to start moving out of La Paz County within those other basins.

BRODIE: Have you had any conversations with Gov. Hobbs or with her office about these bills and encouraging her to not sign them should they get to her?

IRWIN: I'm working on that. I've not had a conversation with her. However, Gov. Hobbs has been out to La Paz County back in May of last year. And she did meet with some constituents that do reside within the McMullen Valley Basin that did lose their wells.

BRODIE: So, what will the AMA designation change for La Paz County? Will things be different, like noticeably different with that designation in that basin?

IRWIN: Well, what it will do is it will prevent any major water users being able to come in and start up a business, drill wells, and, you know, just continue to pump. Like we currently have one particular business you know, that is pumping a lot of water out of the ground, and there's no regulation.

So it will prevent any future ones from coming and doing the same type of practice and it will prohibit the current one from being able to expand. So, you know, you kind of take a look at it like we got to stop the bleeding somewhere. And this is the best way to do it. It's not a perfect fix, but it's the only one that we have right now. Until an alternative can come, you know, can be created through those legislative process.

BRODIE: Well, I mean, given sort of the nature of groundwater that it's much easier to remove than it is to replenish, what other options might be out there to sort of make La Paz County water whole again?

IRWIN: Yeah ... until we can stop the bleeding from the massive pumping that's going on throughout La Paz County, specifically in my district, unfortunately, we don't have the the water that's replenishing those those basins. So, the next best step is we need groundwater protection to at least slow that process down.

BRODIE: Something better than nothing, it sounds like.

IRWIN: Absolutely. Absolutely.

BRODIE: OK. That is La Paz County Supervisor Holly Irwin talking about the new active management area announced by Gov. Katie Hobbs last week in La Paz County. Supervisor Irwin, thanks so much as always. I appreciate it.

IRWIN: Oh, no problem. Thank you so much for having me.