Impacts of the Arizona Groundwater Act on Tucson Water

From the Proceedings of the 1982 Meetings of the Arizona Section - American Water Resources Assn. and the Hydrology Section - Arizona - Nevada Academy of Science - April 24,1982, Tempe, ArizonaThe 1980 Arizona Groundwater Management Act is the product of decades of court decisions and years of work and negotiation by representatives of the State's major water users, members of the State Legislature, and the Governor. The Act intends to conserve and manage the State's groundwater resources through the establishment of the Arizona Department of Water Resources (DWR). The Tucson Active Management Area (TAMA) is one of four geographical areas specifically designated within the legislation. There is established a Tucson office, locally staffed and administered by the DWR. The legislated goal for the TAMA is to balance groundwater withdrawal with dependable supplies by the year 2025. A series of time -specific management plans will incorporate conservation, supply augmentation, and farmland retirement to fulfill the 2025 goal. This paper discusses the existing and projected TAMA water supply/demand imbalance assuming no groundwater management and potential impacts of the Act on management and customers of the Tucson Water Utility. Specific positive impacts include increased public awareness, regional metered water use information, and reduction in groundwater overdraft. Specific negative impacts include more regulation, higher customer water rates, reduced water quality, and potential growth limitations.This article is part of the Hydrology and Water Resources in Arizona and the Southwest collections. Digital access to this material is made possible by the Arizona-Nevada Academy of Science and the University of Arizona Libraries. For more information about items in this collection, contact anashydrology@gmail.com