Arizona restricts some new development over groundwater concerns

Arizona officials announced Thursday that the state will impose restrictions on some new construction in the Phoenix area due to receding groundwater, the latest impact of the decades-long drought that has scorched the Western U.S.

In the Thursday announcement, the state’s Department of Water Resources (DWR) said the Phoenix area, the most populous in the state, will be unable to meet about 4.9-million acre-feet worth of demand. Due to the findings, the DWR said, it will not approve future development in the area that relies on a guaranteed groundwater supply.

The department will grandfather in existing designations, officials said, but “communities or developers seeking new Assured Water Supply determinations will need to do so based on alternative water sources.”

In a briefing announcing the restrictions, Gov. Katie Hobbs (D) framed them as a backstop protecting against a more pronounced water crisis in the state.

“For generations, groundwater has supported Arizona communities,” Hobbs said Thursday. “In times of shortage, it is groundwater that we turn to as a backup. In many communities throughout Arizona, it is the only water supply available, and so we must manage it wisely.”

Hobbs emphasized that the move will not outright halt new construction in the area; only development that relies on a new groundwater authorization will be affected.

“We are not out of water and we will not be running out of water,” she added.

Last month, Arizona officials, along with those of California and Nevada, announced a historic agreement on allocation of the water of the Colorado River, which has been severely overallocated to states in its basin and failed to account for the once-in-a-millennium drought. Under the agreement, Arizona agreed to significantly curtail its use of water from the river, comprising more than half the cuts from the lower basin states.