Ag to Urban: An Arizona Water News Podcast interview with ADWR’s A2U specialist, Ben Bryce

The story of the recently enacted Ag to Urban legislation really began in June  2021 when the Director of ADWR informed water users in the Pinal Active Management Area that groundwater depletion and the resulting unmet demand for groundwater supplies meant that certificates of assured water supply based solely on groundwater likely would no longer be issued for new residential development in the Pinal AMA.  A subsequent chapter in the same groundwater-use drama would be written in November 2023, when the Department found similar unmet demand for planned residential development in the Phoenix Active Management Area.

On June 30, Governor Hobbs signed into law a program that partially addresses the challenges facing Arizona’s homebuilding industry – the Ag to Urban program, which will allow new growth to occur while still protecting the State’s groundwater supplies. 

ADWR provided countless hours of technical expertise and leadership to the negotiations preceding the passage of Ag to Urban, notably by Ben Bryce, Special Adviser to the ADWR Director. 

Ben sat down with Arizona Water News recently to talk about the fruits of his Ag to Urban efforts.