Here's our plan to get Casa Grande and Coolidge off groundwater
Within the next few weeks, a decision on a groundbreaking water policy will lay the foundation for how development occurs in Arizona.
It will affect growth across our state, as well as how critical water resources will be managed into the future.
After working at length with the Governor’s Water Policy Council and stakeholders like Arizona Water Co., the Arizona Department of Water Resources is proposing a change to the way water utilities secure a 100-year assured water supply.
This change will provide a significant step forward in helping utilities meet the state’s assured water supply requirements in a more comprehensive way for growing communities like Coolidge and Casa Grande.
Current rules don't work for Coolidge, Casa Grande
There are currently two ways to provide an assured water supply under present regulations:
The first is on a subdivision-by-subdivision basis.
The second is on a water provider basis.
While the subdivision method worked in the past, this piecemeal system has made it increasingly difficult for Coolidge and Casa Grande to work with water providers on land use plans, zoning and other land entitlements.
That’s because assured water supplies granted to subdivisions remain fixed in time and space, offering little flexibility to guide development.
What’s more, these two communities are expected to more than double in size between now and 2060.
It’s critical now for Arizona Water Co. and the communities it serves to provide a 100-year assured water supply in a more comprehensive, wholistic manner, instead of on a subdivision-by-subdivision basis.
Pinal County’s unprecedented industrial boom is large enough to not only support the economy of Pinal County, but also to contribute to significantly our entire state.
Revised rules have drawn heavy support
The proposed changes are a practical path forward toward, ensuring a comprehensive, 100-year assured water supply for the entire region and the more than 300,000 people who will live in Casa Grande and Coolidge by 2060.
These changes would allow Arizona Water Co. to pump its allocation of Central Arizona Project water closer to where it is stored.
They also would honor existing entitlements to groundwater, allowing us to transition off groundwater and onto sustainable water supplies over time and in a way that would be economically viable for the communities we serve.
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Arizona Water Co.’s water resource strategy is simple: to develop and protect a diverse water supply that allows us to provide water to customers under any operational or hydrologic condition and to use all our water supplies as efficiently as possible.
The Groundwater Management Act of 1980 has been hailed as landmark legislation in water management throughout the nation.
The centerpiece of that act is the Assured and Adequate Water Supply program that requires a 100-year assured water supply to protect homeowners from buying homes that don’t have an adequate water supply and infrastructure to deliver water to those homeowners.
Updating this policy now lies with the Governor’s Regulatory Review Council or GRRC. The GRRC’s job is to review these proposed new rules.
New rules are critical for Arizona Water Co.
The Department of Water Resources and GRRC have received more than 350 letters of support for these new assured water supply amendments from our communities, residents, landowners, farms and businesses stating that these rules are a viable path forward, necessary to create a 100-year assured water supply in the Coolidge and Casa Grande areas for decades to come.
Please consider providing your own letter of support.
The GRRC is scheduled to meet at 10 a.m. on Nov. 22. You can attend this meeting and speak in support of the new rules or attend virtually by visiting grrc.az.gov.
Alternatively, written comments can be submitted to the council at grrccomments@azdoa.gov. To ensure the GRRC sees your comments, email them no later than 5 p.m. on Nov. 21.
As president of Arizona Water Co., the largest family-owned private water company in our state, I want you to know how critical these new amendments are.
We have been providing water in Arizona since 1955 and now serve more than 300,000 people throughout our state, including more than 100,000 in our largest water system of Coolidge and Casa Grande.
We pride ourselves on being excellent stewards of this precious natural resource and realize how important these changes are to continuing to grow our state responsibly.
Fred Schneider is president and chief operating officer at Arizona Water Co., the largest family-owned private water company in the state. Reach him at fschneider@azwater.com.
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Arizona needs new rules to sustain water use for growth | Opinion
