Bill > HB2479

This bill amends Arizona law regarding the designation of subsequent active management areas (AMAs), which are geographical regions where specific groundwater management practices are implemented. The key changes include replacing permissive language ("may") with mandatory language ("shall"), requiring the director of the state water resources department to designate new AMAs when certain conditions are met. These conditions include: (1) the need to preserve groundwater supplies for future use, (2) land subsidence or ground fissuring that threatens property or groundwater storage capacity, and (3) groundwater use causing actual or potential water quality degradation. The bill also clarifies that a newly designated AMA must encompass at least an entire groundwater basin (with an exception for northern Arizona's regional aquifer systems) and mandates that the director periodically review all non-AMA areas to assess whether they meet the criteria for active management. These provisions aim to enhance water resource management and protection by allowing more proactive designation of areas requiring special groundwater oversight.

Agriculture and Natural Resources

https://apps.azleg.gov/BillStatus/BillOverview/82260