Legislation Archive
Session Summaries
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2023 - Fifty-sixth Legislature - First Regular Session
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2022 - Fifty-fifth Legislature - Second Regular Session
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2021 - Fifty-fifth Legislature - First Regular Session
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2020 - Fifty-fourth Legislature - Second Regular Session
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2019 - Fifty-fourth Legislature - First Regular Session
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2018 - Fifty-third Legislature - Second Regular Session
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2017 – Fifty-third Legislature – First Regular Session
Bill Archive
HB 2476: Surface water forfeiture; repeal
In Brief: Alters Arizona water law to remove statutes governing the forfeiture of water rights that are not put to beneficial use.
Sponsor(s): Bowers
Last Action: Held in committee 2/19
Description: Under Arizona law, the owner of a water right that fails to put the water appropriated to beneficial use for five consecutive years forfeits that right. HB 2476 would remove this statutory provision, which could have a wide impact on nearly every water right in the state, and the proceedings of the General Stream Adjudication. This change conflicts with a prior Arizona Supreme Court ruling that found a previous attempt to retroactively modify the forfeiture of water rights through legislative changes to be unconstitutional. The bill also removes statutory clauses that specifically protect certain types of beneficial use for surface waters of the state, including underground storage and the exchange of effluent or Central Arizona Project water for surface water. While removal of these beneficial use protections may be congruent with removing all grounds for water right forfeiture, AMWUA staff are cautious of any legislation that would eliminate safeguards on underground storage or water exchanges as beneficial uses.
HB 2477: Adjudication statutes; unconstitutional provisions; repeal
In Brief: Removes legislative provisions related to the General Stream Adjudication that were determined by the Arizona Supreme Court to be unconstitutional.
Sponsor(s): Bowers
Last Action: Signed by Governor 4/30/19
Description: In 1995 the Arizona State Legislature enacted multiple bills with the intent of simplifying and expediting the General Stream Adjudication. After passage, these bills were legally challenged in the Supreme Court by multiple parties. The Court ultimately found that some of the legislative provisions affecting water rights and the adjudication were unconstitutional. HB 2477 repeals the provisions of statute that were deemed unconstitutional by the Arizona Supreme Court in 1999, though have remained in State statute to the present day.
HB 2484: Irrigation grandfathered right; containerized plants
In Brief: Allows the use of irrigation grandfathered rights for use on containerized plants
Sponsor(s): Griffin
Last Action: HB 2484 was substituted for SB 1221 and signed by the Governor 2/19/19
Description: These bills state that in an initial Active Management Area, a person who holds a certificate of irrigation grandfathered right may exercise that right to withdraw groundwater to water plants in containers on or above the surface. Among other things, the bills also require the right holder to separately measure any groundwater used for watering plants in containers and groundwater for irrigation; however, the total amount of water may not exceed the amount allowed by the irrigation water duty for the farm.
HB 2580: Appropriation; invasive vegetation eradication; grants
In Brief: Appropriates $15 million for the removal of invasive vegetation for the purposes of fire and flood prevention and conservation of water and habitat.
Sponsor(s): Osborne and three others
Last Action: Held in Senate
Description: This bill would appropriate $15 million from the general fund for the Game and Fish Commission to provide grants to municipalities, counties, tribes and political subdivisions of the state for projects to eradicate invasive vegetation. The projects must assist in fire and flood prevention and conservation of water and wildlife habitat.
HB 2586: Groundwater replenishment; water supply; credits
In Brief: Diminishes the statutory requirements for the Assured Water Supply.
Sponsor(s): Cook
Last Action: Retained on House COW Calendar 3/4/19
Description: As amended, this bill contains numerous alterations to the Groundwater Code that would significantly undermine Arizona’s assured water supply requirements and establish worrisome precedent for all AMAs. Specifically, HB 2586 includes the following substantial amendments: (1) It would require ADWR to extend an analysis of assured water supply in Pinal County an indefinite number of times even though the Department has determined there is not enough groundwater in the Pinal AMA to meet the water demands of all analyses that have been already issued. (2) Changes the statutory definition of assured water supply, removing the Department’s ability to consider existing rates of groundwater decline. (3) Adds perplexing criteria for the consideration of future groundwater replenishment from the Central Arizona Groundwater Replenishment District which would impact the Designations of Assured Water Supply held by municipal water providers
SB 1198: Water infrastructure finance authority; appropriation
In Brief: Appropriates $30 million from the general fund to the Water Infrastructure Finance Authority (WIFA).
Sponsor(s): Mendez and six others
Last Action: Held in Senate
Description: This bill appropriates $30 million from the state general fund to the Water Infrastructure Finance Authority (WIFA). WIFA is a state agency that provides low-interest loans to water providers. It is assumed that the intent is to provide funds for the Water Supply Development Revolving Fund.
SB 1221: Irrigation grandfathered right; containerized plants
In Brief: Allows the use of irrigation grandfathered rights for use on containerized plants
Sponsor(s): Kerr
Last Action: HB 2484 was substituted for SB 1221 and signed by the Governor 2/19/19
Description: These bills state that in an initial Active Management Area, a person who holds a certificate of irrigation grandfathered right may exercise that right to withdraw groundwater to water plants in containers on or above the surface. Among other things, the bills also require the right holder to separately measure any groundwater used for watering plants in containers and groundwater for irrigation; however, the total amount of water may not exceed the amount allowed by the irrigation water duty for the farm.
SB 1265: Appropriation; WQARF
In Brief: Appropriates $15 million from the general fund to the Water Quality Assurance Revolving Fund (WQARF).
Sponsor(s): Peshlakai and 13 others
Last Action: Held in Senate
Description: This bill appropriates $15 million from the general fund to the Water Quality Assurance Revolving Fund (WQARF) in fiscal year 2019-20. WQARF is a state-sponsored program established by the Legislature and administered by the Department of Environmental Quality to clean up hazardous soil and groundwater contamination.
SB 1368: Water; well metering; nonexempt wells
In Brief: Mandates water use metering and reporting for nonexempt groundwater wells
Sponsor(s): Mendez and five others
Last Action: Held in Senate
Description: This bill mandates measuring and annual reporting for nonexempt groundwater wells throughout the state. Nonexempt wells include those with a pumping capacity greater than 35 gallons per minute (gpm). Current law contains no measuring requirements for wells outside of the Active Management Areas (AMAs) or Irrigation Non-Expansion Areas (INAs) except for a person who withdraws groundwater for transportation to an initial AMA.
SB 1369: Water adequacy requirements; statewide applicability
In Brief: Establishes requirement for counties to establish mandatory adequacy provisions for subdivision development approval.
Sponsor(s): Mendez and five others
Last Action: Held in Senate
Description: This bill would mandate that counties outside of the Active Management Areas (AMA) adopt a adequate water requirement for subdivided lands within the county. Currently counties outside of an AMA have an option to adopt the mandatory adequacy provisions upon unanimous vote of the county Board of Supervisors.