Groundwater and Growth in Arizona

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Groundwater and Growth in Arizona

• Kenneth Seasholes
• Arizona Department of Water Resources

2
Groundwater Supplies

• Productive aquifers

• Particularly in Basin Range

• Extensively developed

1910
1920
1930
1940
1950
1960
1970
1980
1990
2000
2006
3
Population Growth

• Arizonas Population
• Rank Among States
• 1950 38th
• 2000 20th
• 2030 10th

4
Population Growth
199,413/yr.
5
Population Growth
Phoenix Area Land Change
1912
Phoenix
6
1980 Groundwater Management Act

• Declaration of Policy
• it is necessary to conserve, protect and
  allocate the use of groundwater resources of the
  state and to provide a framework for the
  comprehensive management and regulation of the
  withdrawal, transportation, use, conservation and
  conveyance of rights to use the groundwater in
  this state. 45-401(B)

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1980 Groundwater Management Act
SAFE YIELD A long-term balance between the
annual amount of groundwater withdrawn and the
amount of natural and artificial recharge.

• Created ADWR

• Established AMAs

• Established groundwater rights and permits
• Set long-range water management goals

• Ensured completion of the CAP

• Central Arizona Project
• 3.6 billion
• 1.5 MAF capacity
• 336 miles long
• 2,900 ft. vertical lift

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1980 Groundwater Management Act

• Purposes
• Protect groundwater
• Management goals
• Assured Water Supply
• Conservation

• Protect the economy
• Service Area rights
• General Industrial Use
• Recharge recovery

• Protect existing users
• Grandfathered rights
• Well impact analysis

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Management Plans

• Every 10 years, through 2025
• Increasingly stringent requirements
• Long-range projections
• Conservation programs for each sector
• Augmentation, water quality
• Assistance program

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Conservation

• Targets for reduction
• Municipal GPCD

• Allotments
• Turf
• Agriculture

• Best Management Practices
• Industrial rights
• Agriculture

• Incentives
• Effluent break

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Assured Water Supply

• Physical, legal and continuous availability of
  the water supply for 100 years
• Sufficient water quality

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Assured Water Supply

• Physical, legal and continuous availability of
  the water supply for 100 years
• Sufficient water quality
• Consistency with management goal
• Consistency with management plan
• Financial capability

• Physical, legal and continuous availability of
  the water supply for 100 years
• Sufficient water quality

Central Arizona Groundwater Replenishment
District The CAGRD recharges renewable supplies
to offset groundwater pumped by its members.
13
Recharge Recovery

• Underground Storage Recovery Act

Facility
ADWRs recharge recovery accounting
Facility Permit
Long-Term Storage Account
Recovery Well Permit
14
Water Banking
1,090,600 AF
851,600 AF
361,200 AF
AWBA credits 1997 through 2005
Source AWBA 2005 Annual Report
15
Long-Range Planning

• Water Budgets
• Monitoring
• Modeling
• Stakeholder
• processes

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Outside of AMAs
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Outside of AMAs

• Limited groundwater regulation
• Adequacy Program
• Well construction registration
• Limited local control
• City County authority is constrained
• Limited data
• Lack of metering, monitoring reporting

• Increased planning
• Growing Smarter
• Rural Watershed Initiative
• New reporting requirements
• Arizona Water Atlas
• Cooperative efforts
• Increased attention
• Statewide Water Advisory Group
• Media coverage
• Awareness of future competition

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www.azwater.gov
kcseasholes_at_azwater.gov