La Paz County supervisors spar over ADWR proposal; motion to oppose AMA fails for lack of second

Chair opened a lengthy agenda item asking the board to state whether La Paz County should support or oppose the Arizona Department of Water Resources’ (ADWR) proposed Active Management Area (AMA) for the Renegreis Plains groundwater basin. The discussion split supervisors and residents over competing views of whether an AMA would protect local wells or unduly restrict development.

The chair argued the county should oppose formation of the AMA “without a plan,” saying, “I oppose the formation of the AMA without a plan,” and warned that the management plan that follows an AMA could lock the county into rules that limit future growth. The chair and other speakers repeatedly raised the report’s estimate that roughly 42,000 acre-feet per year are being pumped from the basin while roughly 4,500 acre-feet are being replenished, and asked how an AMA would address that imbalance.

Supervisor Holly (identified in the record as a supervisor supporting the AMA) urged the board to view an AMA as a tool to protect residents and existing wells from large water users, saying the proposal gives local residents “an option to protect the only basin we have left” and noting that the governor’s office supports AMAs in multiple basins. Several supervisors and residents said an AMA could be revised later or folded into different statutory approaches, but cautioned that the management plan—written after AMA formation—contains the operational details that determine outcomes.

Jim Downing, appearing as a technical resource on water law and practice, described legal differences between proving an “adequate” water supply outside an AMA and an “assured” water supply inside one. He explained that inside an AMA a developer must prove an assured water supply for 100 years and that management goals and plans (the enforceable details) come after AMA designation.

Denise Beasley, a resident of the Renegreis Plains, and other members of the public urged supervisors to consider protection for local wells and to engage with residents. Beasley told the board that the AMA could protect water “for future growth, for future business” and encouraged supervisors to attend the ADWR public hearing.

After more than an hour of exchanges about whether an AMA would stop large agricultural pumping, permit local control, or effectively transfer decision-making to state-appointed boards, the chair moved that the board adopt a position opposing ADWR’s proposed AMA for the Renegreis Plains “without a plan.” The motion failed for lack of a second. The board did not adopt a formal county position that day; several supervisors said they would speak individually at the ADWR public hearing and encouraged public testimony.

Next steps: ADWR scheduled a public hearing in Brenda; supervisors and residents are on record urging public participation. The board adjourned after the item.

Provenance: discussion throughout SEG 751–SEG 2363; topic first raised at SEG 751 and discussion closed at SEG 2363.