Give Us Tools, But Give Us the Financial Resources to Make Them Work
By Joe Sigg, Arizona Farm Bureau
The Statewide Water Advisory Group (SWAG), a panel of government, business and nonprofit leaders that met for months with the Arizona Department of Water Resources (DWR), recently provided several recommendations dealing with rural area water issues. While the efforts are aimed at helping rural areas, they lack the financial resources to be successful.
Essentially the original theme was to borrow some useful tools from the Active Management Areas (AMA’s), add some “grease” and provide them to areas of the state outside the AMA’s.
From the agricultural sector, our position has been fairly consistent. These new tools will involve new regulations, and if we are going to have new regulations, then we also need the “grease” – rural Arizona needs a solid commitment of financial resources for various projects, infrastructures and other investments so they can work through these issues.
In 1980 when the AMA’s were created, they certainly had the advantage of this quid pro quo, and while not the same level of commitment is needed, the same intensity of support is needed.
Perhaps the most debated involves adequacy. Outside of AMA’s developers are to obtain 100-year adequacy statements. However, they can skip the process, accept an inadequate designation and proceed to development with the only notice required to the first time purchaser.
The problem is the inadequate “straw” goes in the adequate supply, and neither wind up providing adequacy.
Bills dealing with this are making their way through both Houses. This issue will be changed by the legislature, but the specific outcome also hinges on discussions as to how much authority county boards of supervisors will have to override adequacy standards and in what type of structured vote.
One thing is certain, rural Arizona won’t see investments from this legislative session, and it remains to be seen as to how we maintain leverage for future sessions.
