BILL SUMMARIES

The following list of bills is not a comprehensive list of bills ADWR Legislative Affairs tracking this session and is intended to provide a summary view of relevant legislative activities.

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

HB2026 - assured water supply; commingling

Sponsor: Rep. Gail Griffin (R)

Summary: Requires the Director of the Arizona Department of Water Resources, when determining whether a proposed subdivision has sufficient water for a certificate of assured water supply, to evaluate only the specific water sources dedicated to the proposed use, regardless of whether the water will be distributed through a delivery system that commingles multiple water supplies.

Position: Neutral

Last Action: April 13, 2026 - VETOED (Governor’s letter)

HB2031 - grandfathered right; Willcox AMA; extension

Sponsor: Rep. Gail Griffin (R)

Summary: Extends the deadline for filing an application for a certificate of grandfathered groundwater right the Willcox Active Management Area (AMA) to 27 months after the designation of the Willcox AMA. Retroactive to January 8, 2026. Emergency clause.

Position: Neutral

Last Action: April 9, 2026 - VETOED (Governor’s letter)

HB2056 - appropriation; brackish groundwater; feasibility study

Sponsor: Rep. Gail Griffin (R)

Summary: Requires the Arizona Department of Water Resources (ADWR) to conduct a feasibility study of potential brackish groundwater desalination project sites in Gila Bend, Ranegras Plain, the west Salt River Valley and the Little Colorado River plateau, including treatment, transportation and brine-disposal costs. Appropriates $100,000 from the state general fund in FY2026-27 to ADWR for the study.

Position: Neutral

Last Action: March 17, 2026 - Appropriations, Transportation and Technology DO PASS (6-3-0-1)

HB2116 - appropriation; Colorado River litigation fund

Sponsor: Rep. Gail Griffin (R)

Summary: Appropriates $1 million from the state general fund in FY2026-27 to the Colorado River Litigation Fund.

Position: Support

Last Action: March 10, 2026 Senate Appropriations, Transportation and Technology - DO PASS (8-0-0-2)

HB2758 - McMullen Valley; eligible entities; groundwater

Sponsor: Rep. Gail Griffin (R)

Summary: Repeals existing statutory restrictions on groundwater transportation from the McMullen Valley groundwater basin and establishes a new framework allowing eligible public entities and regulated water utilities to withdraw and transport groundwater from historically irrigated acres under specified hydrologic limits, reporting requirements, and cost responsibility conditions. Authorizes transportation of groundwater to an initial active management area or limited use in La Paz County. Requires the Arizona Department of Water Resources to adopt rules and annually report total withdrawals from the McMullen Valley groundwater basin to the Governor and the Legislature.

Position: Neutral

Last Action: March 17, 2026 - Senate Natural Resources - DO PASS (4-3-0-1)

SENATE 

SB1200 - assured water supply; certificate; model. bodies of water; effluent; landscaping

Sponsor: Sen. Thomas "T.J." Shope (R)

Summary: Strike-Everything Amendment Adopted by House Committee on Natural Resources, Energy & Water: Allows a person to use a body of water constructed before January 1, 2026 in an active management area and filled and refilled with effluent as a conduit to transport another type of water for landscaping or other purposes by commingling the waters if the owner or operator measures and annually reports water volumes and adds sufficient effluent to offset net withdrawals. Requires the person to annually report water and effluent volumes withdrawn and delivered to the Arizona Department of Water Resources.

Position: Neutral

Last Action: June 11, 2026 - House Third Reading - HELD

SB1202 - supply and demand; assessment; groundwater.

Sponsor: Sen. Thomas "T.J." Shope (R)

Summary: Expands the Arizona Department of Water Resources’ (ADWR) annual water supply and demand assessment requirements by specifying detailed groundwater basin metrics that must be included in each five-year assessment for each groundwater basin.

Position: Neutral

Last Action: June 19, 2026 - VETOED

SB1287 - stock watering; active management areas

Sponsor: Sen. Timothy "Tim" Dunn (R)

Summary: Updates groundwater statutes to replace references to June 12, 1980 with" the date of designation of the active management area" for determining eligibility to withdraw groundwater for domestic purposes or stock watering under an irrigation grandfathered right.

Position: Support

Last Action: March 30,2026 - House Rules HELD

SB1335 groundwater savings credits; irrigation rights

Sponsor: Sen. Timothy "Tim" Dunn (R)

Summary: Authorizes a person who applies to relinquish an irrigation grandfathered right in exchange for groundwater savings credits to request, and directs the Director of the Arizona Department of Water Resources (ADWR) to issue, a temporary permit to irrigate with groundwater that allows irrigation under the same requirements and limits that would apply if the right had not been relinquished and that generally terminates two years after the Director issues the credits or earlier on specified events. Requires the Director, when issuing groundwater savings credits, to apply their determination about whether certain assured water supply criteria would be satisfied to both an assured water supply application and a notice of intent to pledge groundwater savings credits to a designation of assured water supply that a person submits within two years after the credits are issued. Expands irrigation district groundwater-withdrawal provisions to recognize temporary permits to irrigate with groundwater and to include member farms operating under those temporary permits in the district’s calculation of allowable groundwater distribution. Allows a holder of groundwater savings credits issued before the effective date of this act to apply for a temporary permit to irrigate with groundwater within two years after the Director issued the credits and repeals this authorization on January 2, 2029.

Position: Neutral

Last Action: June 22, 2026 - Signed by Governor 

SB1447 - groundwater withdrawal fee; Pinal AMA

Sponsor: Sen. Thomas "T.J." Shope (R)

Summary: Extends the period during which the Director of the Arizona Department of Water Resources does not levy a groundwater withdrawal fee in the Pinal Active Management Area (AMA) for Arizona water banking purposes through calendar year 2030, instead of 2026, and extends the authorization to levy a groundwater withdrawal fee in the Pinal AMA for groundwater and irrigation efficiency projects through calendar year 2030, instead of 2026. Extends the date for distributing unencumbered monies from the Temporary Groundwater and Irrigation Efficiency Projects Fund to contributors to December 31, 2032, instead of December 31, 2027, and delays the repeal of the Fund to April 1, 2033, instead of April 1, 2028

Position: Neutral

Last Action: June 11, 2026 - House Third Reading - HELD

SB1785 - water storage facility; withdrawals; area

Sponsor: Sen. Warren Petersen (R)

Summary: Modifies recovery well permitting for stored water by establishing presumptions for determining whether a recovery well is within the area of impact when an applicant does not submit a separate hydrologic study, including specified proximity standards to storage facilities and infrastructure.

Position: Neutral

Last Action: April 7, 2026 - House Committee of the Whole - PASSE