HB2203

THE CONTEXT: After the initiation of the procedures for designating a subsequent AMA or for the call of an election to establish an AMA an irrigation user is only permitted to irrigate on land that was irrigated at any time during the five years preceding the beginning of the designation process. This limitation exists until either the Director of the Department of Water Resources (ADWR) makes a final determination or the results of the election to establish the AMA are certified ( A.

WHAT THE BILL DID: The final vetoed version would increase the number of years prior to a designation of a subsequent AMA that are used to determine eligibility for both irrigation and non-irrigation groundwater rights from five years to ten years, make technical and conforming changes, and contains a retroactivity clause of August 30,.

WHY IT MATTERED: The practical reason for this bill was to make a concrete adjustment to the existing rule for historical water use. It would increase the number of years prior to a designation of a subsequent AMA that are used to determine eligibility for both irrigation and non-irrigation groundwater rights from five years to ten years, and would also make technical and conforming changes, rather than leave the current rule unchanged.