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Whereas water is all the time an enormous situation in Arizona, rather a lot occurred final 12 months particularly:
And whereas we got here shut, finally Arizona did not move any significant laws that will equip rural Arizona communities with new instruments to handle their groundwater assets, regardless of rising requires assist.
All these elements play into 2023, the place Audubon and our companions will likely be exhausting at work pursuing extra choices for groundwater administration for rural Arizona, which is able to finally assist communities plan for his or her future and shield rivers, streams, and habitat for birds just like the Yellow-breasted Chat and the Vermilion Flycatcher. And we are going to work to make sure state companies have the assets they should do their jobs: conserving and defending Arizona’s lands and waters.
Listed below are our high priorities for Arizona’s 2023 Legislative Session:
1)Move laws that gives communities in rural Arizona (locations situated outdoors of Lively Administration Areas) with the power to plan, handle, and shield their groundwater assets in a locally-adaptable strategy.
2)Appropriately fund the Arizona Division of Water Assets to allow them to perform their obligations to Arizona’s residents to handle, preserve, and shield water provides (rivers and groundwater). Present the Arizona Division of Environmental High quality with the will increase in funding and costs they should execute their directives to guard water high quality all through the state.
3)Monitor and monitor the Water Infrastructure Finance Authority (WIFA) because it unveils standards and requirements for its new grant and mortgage packages to fund water infrastructure and water conservation initiatives. In late December 2022, a rushed and not-thoroughly vetted proposal for a desalination plant and pipeline undertaking was introduced earlier than the recently-formed WIFA board. Practically 500 members of Audubon’s Western Rivers Motion Community alerted board members to decelerate and to not approve such an enormous proposal with out additional dialogue and vetting. We’ll proceed to be careful for initiatives that will siphon the out there funding with out ample vetting, and we are going to advocate for cost-effective options to our water disaster that we are able to implement NOW, versus far-off and far-away water importation initiatives.
4)We’ll advocate for insurance policies that assist us handle the water we DO have as properly as doable. We should patch the holes within the leaky bucket of Arizona water coverage, comparable to fixing our presently limitless groundwater withdrawal guidelines in rural Arizona; advancing the long-running Common Stream Adjudications lawsuit to find out who has the rights to how a lot in-state river water; and dealing with Tribes in Arizona who’ve nonetheless not been capable of settle their water rights claims. Leaving these points unresolved generates uncertainty in a time when Arizona’s water provides are beneath unimaginable stress.
At Audubon, we all know that we should act with urgency and make good coverage selections now to assist the state adapt and remodel in order that sooner or later our rivers, communities, farms, companies, birds, fish, and habitat can proceed to flourish in Arizona. And we want your assist to do that. Be sure to be part of the Western Rivers Motion Community to remain up-to-date on the most recent happenings on Arizona water coverage and calls to motion. Your voice makes a big effect on decisionmakers, and we want it, greater than ever.