Notes on Recent Ground-Water Developments in Arizona

Document: "notes on Recent Ground-Water Developments in Arizona," prepared by George H. Davis, U.S. Geological Survey, 1962, page 13At present surface water and underground water flowing in clearly defined channels are managed under the doctrine of prior appropriation; other ground water, termed "percolating waters," is classed as belonging to the landowner and is controllable only under the police power of the State, under which it can be insisted that use be beneficial and depletion be minimized in the public interest. An essential preliminary to realistic water management is modification of the laws governing water so that they are congruent with our present knowledge of hydrology. Recognition of the interrelationship of surface and ground water is most important. In most of the lowland valleys of Arizona the two are inseparable; depletion of either affects the other within a given basin and in interconnected basins. The present separation of ground water into two classes, treated under different doctrines, is an anachronism that has no basis in hydrology. 13Epson Perfection 4870 Photo, 400 dpi, 8 bit, 2,332,318 byte