GOP lawmakers have grown impatient with Gov. Katie Hobbs’ 2023 “pause” on new subdivisions in areas of metro Phoenix that rely on groundwater.
And they’re not at all happy with the governor’s vetoes on efforts to get that growth moving again.
It’s a good bet that if the House and Senate remain in Republican control next year, they’ll be back with even more legislation to ditch the governor’s pause.
And if past is prologue, they’ll look for ways to get it into law, without the governor’s approval.
Metro Phoenix needs to grow and save water
But this fight doesn’t just have political implications.
Metro Phoenix needs homes. And while single-family home construction has increased markedly since the beginning of the year, some of the most affordable areas remain off-limits because of the pause.
That’s a problem because growth in those areas isn’t stopping.
Build-to-rent homes and industrial projects — which, unlike subdivisions, are not required to prove they have enough water for the long haul before building in certain areas — are simply taking their place.
Without those protections, it’s just a matter of time before trouble arises with these uses and another round of “Phoenix is running out of water” stories hit the national press, kicking investors’ fears into overdrive.
And when that happens, oh, buddy. It won’t be pleasant for any of us.
This designation could help cities do both
Governor Hobbs knows this.
But she also knows (or should, anyway) that her pause creates uncertainty, and that can’t go on forever, politically or economically.
Somehow, she’s going to have to find a way to turn it off, without creating a panic that we’ve thrown sustainability to the wind.
Which may explain why she’s pressing a separate, non-legislative process to help a handful of communities earn an assured water supply designation, which essentially signifies that they have enough supplies to cover existing and future water use for the long haul.
Most cities in metro Phoenix already have such a designation. But it’s proven difficult for the remaining ones — mostly in the West Valley and in Pinal County, which grew predominantly on groundwater — because the rules stipulate that they must have all the water they need in hand, before they apply.
And it can’t just be any water. It must be a renewable supply, like leased river water or treated effluent.
This water can be costly to acquire and deliver, and that takes time to program into water rates, so customers that largely must foot the bill for this infrastructure aren’t paying for it all at once.
The idea: To buy water providers time
The proposed workaround is to create an alternative path to earning a designation of assured water supply, or ADAWS for short.
Water providers would get an initial allotment of groundwater to use, but it would decrease over time — essentially buying time for providers to wean themselves off this pumping, instead of having to do it all at once.
“Paused” growth could then resume, but the designation would level the playing field in these areas, forcing every new use — be it a subdivision, a build-to-rent development or an industrial lot — to prove it has enough water for the long haul before it can build.
Arizona will never solve: Its water issues until it changes this
It also would require water providers to replenish pumping from users in their service territories that haven’t historically had to do so.
An analysis from the state water department suggests that if fast-growing communities like Buckeye and Queen Creek were to earn this alternative designation, it would result in less long-term groundwater use than if we held fast to the current rules.
Which is exactly what we want. Or should be, anyway.
Is Arizona ready to compromise?
The good news is almost everyone agrees on the concept.
They recognize that the program needs enough teeth to ensure groundwater savings are real and sustainable, but that it also needs enough flexibility to help providers make it work financially.
But disagreement remains on the details to make this work.
Some argue, for example, that a decreasing allotment by itself will force providers to find other sources, while others say there should be more guardrails to ensure providers wean themselves off groundwater over time.
Others argue that replenishment stipulations are too drastic, while still others say they’re not firm enough.
Balancing these views won’t be easy.
And if a wide range of water providers aren’t willing to sign off on provisions they might not love but can live with, this rulemaking process is sure to collapse.
Let’s hope they’re in the mood to compromise.
An alternative designation won’t solve every water issue. But it could put fast-growing areas on a more sustainable track, without killing growth or draining the aquifer.
It’s in all our best interests to make this work.
Reach Allhands at [email protected]. On X, formerly Twitter: @joannaallhands.
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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Phoenix area can grow again and save water while doing it
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