Governor Declares April "Water Awareness Month"

Governor Janet Napolitano issued an executive order declaring April as "Water Awareness Month."

"Water is one of Arizona's most vital and precious resources," the Governor said. "All citizens of Arizona and visitors should use water more efficiently; practicing a low water-use lifestyle is a way each individual and business can help ensure a long-term, sufficient water supply.

"Creating a culture of conservation will greatly reduce the impact of drought on our natural resources, economy, and quality of life," she added.

Click here for the order.

Governor Proclaims April "Arizona Rivers Month"

Governor Napolitano singled Arizona's rivers for special consideration, proclaiming April as "Arizona Rivers Month."

“Arizona has few remaining perennially flowing rivers and is committed to protecting those that do remain, such as the San Pedro, Verde, Fossil Creek, Oak Creek, Little Colorado, Santa Maria, Bill Williams, and Cienega Creek,” the Governor said.

ADWR Director Herb Guenther added: “We must shoulder the responsibility to manage them in ways that not only protect the rivers, but that allow our citizens to enjoy them in conjunction with wildlife who use them."

Click here for the proclamation.

◊◊◊◊ WELLS ON DEMAND ◊◊◊◊

◊◊◊◊ ATTENTION - FORM UPDATE - NEW REQUIRED INFORMATION ◊◊◊◊

NOI Well Drilling Forms have been Modified!  Information on Boundaries of Groundwater Basins and Sub-basins is Now Available on the ADWR Website!

The ADWR form Notice of Intent to Drill, Deepen, Replace or Modify a Well (DWR 55-40) has been modified to require applicants to indicate whether the water to be pumped from the proposed well will be used in the same groundwater basin where the well is to be located .  Please download and use the new forms.  Effective immediately, only the new forms will be accepted.

To assist NOI applicants in locating groundwater basin and sub-basin boundaries and for general knowledge, we are adding the Department’s Basin and Sub-Basin Designations—June 1984 to our website.  This document, describing in narrative and map form the official boundaries of each of the 46 groundwater basins and 27 sub-basins of the state not included in the five initial Active Management Area basins, was published as part of the Findings and Order of the Director designating the basins and sub-basins pursuant to ARS Section 45-404 on June 21, 1984 click here to download official basin/subbasin boundaries outside AMAs.  It may be helpful to first download a statewide map showing all of the basins and sub-basins of the state to better estimate what basin and sub-basin in which the proposed well may be located, before searching the official 1984 boundaries document click here to download statewide basin/sub-basin map, including the five AMAs.  You can also download maps of each AMA click here for Phoenix AMA map, click here for Pinal AMA map, click here for Prescott AMA map, click here for Santa Cruz AMA map, click here for Tucson AMA map.

◊◊◊◊ WARNING ◊◊◊◊

If you are filing a Notice of Intent to Drill, Deepen, Replace or Modify a Well (DWR 55-40) and your proposed well location is near the boundary of a groundwater basin, you may need to use a Global Position System (GPS) unit to obtain the exact coordinates of the location to ensure the well and the place where the water pumped from the well will be used are in the same groundwater basin.

◊◊◊◊ ATTENTION WELL DRILLERS - GPS REQUIREMENTS ◊◊◊◊

ALSO NEW:  Effective immediately, the only acceptable method used to determine Latitude and Longitude is GPS.  The USGS Quad Map and conventional survey methods are no longer allowable options.  The Well Driller Report and Log (form DWR 55-55), and the Well Abandonment Completion Report (form DWR 55-58) have been updated to reflect these changes and may be downloaded now.

Quarterly Drought Update

It's been a nice wet winter in Arizona, but...

Winter has been a pleasant diversion, with plenty of snow in the high country and rain at lower elevations.  Still, the long-term drought persists, according to the members of the State Drought Monitoring Technical Committee. Click here for quarterly drought update.

Sacramento Valley Groundwater Basin Report

Click here to view a Preliminary Estimate of Groundwater in Storage for the Sacramento Valley Groundwater Basin, Mohave County, Arizona. To purchase a hard copy click Bookstore

Third Management Plans - Second Modification

On April 1, 2008, the Director issued orders adopting modifications to the municipal conservation programs of the Third Management Plans for the five Active Management Areas. As required by legislation enacted during the 2007 legislative session (Chapter 139), the modifications add to the Third Management Plans a modified Non-Per Capita Conservation Program (“NPCCP”) for large municipal providers. All large municipal providers that are not designated as having an assured water supply and that are not regulated as a large untreated water provider or as an institutional provider must submit a provider profile to the Director by July 1, 2009 and be regulated under the modified NPCCP beginning January 1, 2010 or the date the Director approves the provider’s provider profile, whichever is later. Large municipal providers regulated under the modified NPCCP must implement a public education program, a metering program and one or more additional water conservation measures to be selected from a list of measures included in the program. The number of additional water conservation measures that a provider must implement is determined by the number of service connections to the provider’s water distribution system

A large municipal provider designated as having an assured water supply will continue to be regulated under its existing municipal conservation program unless it elects to be regulated under the modified NPCCP. The conservation program for small municipal providers, whose average annual use is less than 250 acre-feet, is unaffected by the modifications.

The Director adopted the modifications following public hearings held in each of the AMAs during the first week of March, 2008.  As required by statute, the Director has issued a summary of the hearings and findings with respect to matters considered during the hearings.  To view the transcripts of the public hearings, the summary of hearings and findings, the Orders of Adoption and the actual modification language, click here.

Pursuant to A.R.S. § 45-114(C), any person may file a motion for rehearing on or a review of the modifications.  A motion for rehearing or review must be filed with Kathy Donoghue, Docket Supervisor, Arizona Department of Water Resources, 3550 N. Central Ave., Phoenix, Arizona  85012 no later than May 19, 2008 at 5:00 p.m.  If no person files a timely motion for rehearing or review, the Orders of Adoption issued by the Director on April 1, 2008 will become final on May 20, 2008.  If any person files a timely motion for rehearing or review, the Director will issue a decision on the request and may make changes to the modifications after rehearing or review.  After the modifications become final, the Department will give written notice of the modifications to all large municipal providers affected by the modifications.

Evaluation of the Active Management Area Management Plans
Prepared by the Arizona Water Institute

More than half-way into the 45-year period for meeting the goals of the Arizona Groundwater Management Act (GMA), ADWR will be developing the fourth of five management plans for each of the Active Management Areas (AMAs), as mandated by the Act.

This report provides an examination of the intended functions/purposes of the management plans relative to legislative intent, an evaluation of the management plan provisions to date from the perspective of ADWR staff and the regulated community, an assessment of the effectiveness of the management plans in meeting their goals, and suggestions of what stakeholders would like to see in future management plans.

It concludes with several key recommendations based on the implications of the study results. This project will assist ADWR as it moves forward with the development of the Fourth Management Plans. This evaluation provides a foundation for change in the approach and content of the final two management plans.

In order to facilitate the implementation of the findings of this study relating to determining the effectiveness of the conservation programs and initiating long-term regional water planning, the authors offer the following recommendations:

1: ADWR should provide water use data for all sectors on at least an annual basis. These data must be reported in a consistent format over time and across AMAs.

2: State of the AMA reports should be produced on a yearly or biennial basis.

3: ADWR should shift its focus to long-term water planning, but still maintain the current conservation programs.

4: The Augmentation and Recharge Program and the Central Arizona Groundwater Replenishment District rules need to be reviewed and updated to ensure fairness.

Click here to view the study.

Adequacy Rules Stakeholder Process

The Arizona Department of Water Resources will be initiating a new series of stakeholder meetings as part of an informal public process to modify the water adequacy rules. The rules will be modified to reflect the changes in the water adequacy program brought about by the Legislature’s passage of SB 1575 in 2007. The Department anticipates initiating the informal stakeholder meetings early in 2008. The Department will hold a series of meetings to seek public input of the draft rules, running through the summer of 2008. A schedule of the meetings and related materials will be posted here.

Staff from the Arizona Department of Water Resources Water Management Division held two meeitngs in Prescott and Paulden May 6, 2008 to explain proposed new rules for interbasin groundwater transportation in certain areas of the state. Please see attached for the info for the transportation rule package from the May 6th meetings.

Click here to view a Groundwater Transportation May 6 2008 presentation

Click here to view a Transportation Rules Pkg 2005-06-2008.

Click here to view a Model Adequacy Ordinance of SB 1575 Water Adequacy Amendments.
Click here to view the PowerPoint presentation that has been presented during the March 2008 Adequacy Workshops

Click here to view a February meetings agenda.
Click here to view the PowerPoint presentation for hauled water exemption.

Click here to view the April meeting schedule.

Online Filing of 2007 Annual Reports

The Arizona Department of Water Resources is currently creating an online filing tool for Annual Water Withdrawal and Use Reports and is pleased to announce that the following reports may be filed electronically for the 2007 reporting year:

ID SUMMARY
SHORT FORM SUMMARY
INDIVIDUAL USERS SUMMARY

If you currently receive one of these types of reports you will be eligible for online reporting of your 2007 Annual Reports.

Registration on SecureAZ.gov is required – instructions are here