At the November 2022 election, voters decided to change the Douglas groundwater basin INA designation to an AMA (Active Management Area). The Douglas AMA boundary is larger than the INA was so property owners near the INA boundary may now be within the AMA boundary and should check maps at ADWR (Arizona Department of Water Resources) to confirm.
With that designation change comes large, overarching changes to water use in the Douglas groundwater basin. Most importantly to those who have water rights, is to secure grandfathered water rights to irrigate by March 1, 2024. Only lands legally irrigated for the 5 years previous to August 30, 2022 are eligible to secure irrigation rights through the process of applying for and being granted grandfathered water rights (ARS 45-416).
For those who own land with water rights and have not irrigated the land the past 5 years, there are carve outs for facilities and investments showing irrigation intention. Be sure to read the Arizona Revised Statutes, the information on the ADWR website (Arizona Department of Water Resources) and consult a water rights attorney.
Large commercial operations should be aware of the two types of grandfathered water rights and apply for the most appropriate use.
You can check your property and its water rights at the ADWR Groundwater Rights interactive map.
In addition, AMAs must have a water conservation plan. That plan will impact all development and water use moving forward. AMAs have management goals and management plans. The conservation plan is the plan to use less water over succeeding decades.
The Douglas AMA goal is:
The management goal of the Douglas AMA is to support the general economy and welfare of water users in the basin by reducing the rate of aquifer depletion by an amount established in the first management plan and by additional reductions established in each subsequent management plan every 10 years thereafter. (ADWR website)
The Arizona Department of Water Resources is hosting a virtual meeting on January 31, 2024 from 9am to 12 noon to provide information to the public and conduct a public workshop. The information meeting will be first and provides the public with information on the municipal and industrial sections of the AMA management plan.
The second part of the meeting will be a public interactive workshop addressing the municipal and industrial conservation plans. You can get more information at the ADWR website.
