Arizona House committee rejects bill to expand groundwater transport from La Paz County

Representative Griffin’s bill to authorize groundwater transport from the McMullen Valley Basin and adjust how proceeds are distributed failed to secure a do-pass recommendation in the Committee of the Whole on Feb. 17, 2026.

The measure, House Bill 2758, came before the Committee of the Whole on a recommendation from the House Natural Resources, Energy and Water Committee. Representative Griffin moved committee and floor amendments that the sponsor said would add protections and clarify conditions for transportation basins. One amendment raised the county share tied to the transportation of groundwater "from 10% to 50% of the limit of the total annual volume" for La Paz County, language Griffin described as "a good amendment for the county." Representative Biasucci later said his floor amendment added "more protections for La Paz County to protect their water." Both amendments were adopted in committee before the final recommendation vote.

Opponents pressed concerns about local impacts. Representative Mathis read from an op-ed criticizing HB 2758 as a measure that "deeply undermines the needs and long term well-being of Arizona," arguing the bill "singles out the McMullen Valley Basin in La Paz County, treating it as expendable in the name of urban expansion and corporate gain" and warning the legislation would allow private investment groups to pump and export water, potentially driving well failures and land subsidence. Mathis cited local residents' experiences and a reported community well deepening "to more than 1,500 feet at a cost exceeding 1,000,000" to illustrate potential harms.

After floor debate, the Committee of the Whole first used a standing division vote in which the chair announced the committee had "declined to give House Bill 2758 as amended a due pass recommendation" by a count the chair stated as 25 ayes to 34 nays. Because the motion was defeated in committee, rules required a recorded roll-call vote. The clerk later recorded 28 ayes and 29 nays, and the committee ultimately failed to recommend the bill be given a do-pass report.

The bill’s provisions discussed on the floor included authorizing groundwater withdrawals in the McMullen Valley Basin and setting numeric thresholds and annual-volume limits for transport. Supporters argued the measure was consistent with prior transportation-basin policy and that property owners who hold water should be able to sell it, and that the adopted amendments increased protections and local revenue. Opponents, including county supervisors quoted in remarks read aloud to the chamber, said the proposal risked overpumping, deeper wells for residents, and long-term harm to rural communities.

Because HB 2758 failed to win a committee recommendation in the Committee of the Whole, the measure will not advance from that stage at this time. The House report notes HB 2758 "failed to pass" in committee; further action would require reintroduction or renewed motion by the body.