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Arizona bill to create basin management areas advances amid calls for more local representation
Summary
Lawmakers advanced Senate Bill 15-20, which would create basin management area (BMA) designations and basin management councils to manage groundwater in designated basins; sponsors and some members said the measure is a work in progress and expect floor amendments addressing how council members are chosen.
Senate Bill 15-20, as presented in caucus, would authorize the director of the Arizona Department of Water Resources (ADWR) to designate Basin Management Areas (BMAs) to manage groundwater and lay out governance, reporting and water-rights rules for those BMAs.
The bill, described by committee staff as establishing BMA designations and associated basin management councils, would allow designation either by the ADWR director based on specified findings or by petition signed by at least 10% of registered voters within the groundwater basin. It prescribes duties for ADWR, requirements for certificates of groundwater rights and flexibility accounts, and provides procedures for reporting and council membership.
Supporters said the measure is the product of multiple stakeholder meetings and is intended to be a multi-part solution to stabilize groundwater, stop continued expansion of water use and create recharge opportunities. "This is a work in progress working with, in fact, we had, we have a stakeholder meeting on Thursday with additional people," Representative Griffin said during caucus, urging members to allow the bill to move so amendments can be offered on the floor.
Several members raised concerns about how members of basin management councils would be selected. Representative Fink and others said they preferred elected council members rather than appointments by the governor; Griffin acknowledged that earlier proposals recommended elected representatives and said the bill team still hopes to pursue that route. "Our desire would be to have them elected," Griffin said.
Members also noted this was discussed at length in committee and that the committee's decision to move the bill reflected an expectation that sponsors would bring forward amendments. "What we did in committee, the general consensus was we're gonna move forward to give them time to finish the work," one member said, adding that many would have opposed the bill on the floor without amendments to address outstanding questions.
The bill as described also repeals the Wilcox Active Management Area (AMA) and supplants it with a Wilcox BMA, and creates duties and goals for BMAs and basin management councils. Staff and sponsors said the draft resulted from multiple stakeholder meetings and would be further refined.
No formal floor action was recorded in caucus; the bill was placed on the third-week consent calendar as presented from committee, and sponsors indicated they plan further stakeholder outreach and likely floor amendments before final consideration.
