HB2271

THE CONTEXT: The Director of the Arizona Department of Water Resources (ADWR) is required, not later than the first of December each year, to prepare and issue a water supply and demand assessment for at least six of the 51 groundwater basins in the state. The Director must ensure that a water supply and demand assessment is completed for all groundwater basins and initial active management areas at least once every five years ( A.

WHAT THE BILL DID: The final vetoed version would require the Director to include in a five-year supply and demand assessment the following information about the groundwater basin: a) average depth-to-static level at the end of the assessment period, along with average net increase or decrease, measured in feet; b) maximum and average depth of bedrock at the deepest point measured in feet; c) total number of active index wells measured in whole numbers; d) average distance between active index wells measured in miles; e) average geographic distribution or density of active index wells measured in number per section of land; f) total volume of, and total number of years' worth of groundwater available to its maximum depth at the end of the assessment period, measured in acre-feet; g) total number of active and passive stormwater and groundwater recharge projects measured in whole numbers; h) total volume of increased groundwater recharged due to active and passive stormwater and groundwater recharge projects in each of the five years preceding the end of the assessment period measured in acre-feet. (Sec 1) i) j) k).

WHY IT MATTERED: The practical reason for this bill was to make the stated financial responsibility enforceable and keep public reporting on time. It would require the Director to include in a five-year supply and demand assessment the following information about the groundwater basin: a) average depth-to-static level at the end of the assessment period, along with average net increase or decrease, measured in feet; b) maximum and average depth of bedrock at the deepest point measured in feet; c) total number of active index wells measured in whole numbers; d) average distance between active index wells measured in miles; e) average geographic distribution or density of active index wells measured in number per section of land; f) total volume of, and total number of years' worth of groundwater available to its maximum depth at the end of the assessment period, measured in acre-feet; g) total number of active and passive stormwater and groundwater recharge projects measured in whole numbers; h) total volume of increased groundwater recharged due to active and passive stormwater and groundwater recharge projects in each of the five years preceding the end of the assessment period measured in acre-feet. (Sec 1) i) j) k), rather than leave the current rule unchanged.