Arizona regulates groundwater use in rural areas

As first reported by the Associated Press (AP), elected officials in Arizona are taking steps to limit groundwater use in rural, farming areas. Arizona first enacted groundwater regulations in the 1980s, focusing on urban areas such as Tucson and Phoenix.  

Beginning January 2026, officials are expanding water use and conservation rules to outlying areas, with a specific focus on water basins in La Paz and Yuma counties, by designating the Ranegras Plain as an Active Management Area.  

The new rules allow for a management plan developed by the Arizona Department of Water Resources and local stakeholders, as well as requirements for water conservation. Under the new designation, farmers and irrigated agricultural operations in the basin must begin tracking and reporting the volume of groundwater they pump.  

Key changes include: 

• Irrigation on new acreage is prohibited. Irrigation may continue on land irrigated at any point in the five years previous to Nov. 5, 2025. 

• Irrigators must install an approved device to measure groundwater use by March 31, 2026. 

• Applications must be submitted for grandfathered irrigation rights if you 

• irrigate two or more acres. 

• have a well pump greater than 35 GPM. 

• use more than 10 acre-feet of water annually. 

While the Saudi Arabian agribusiness Fondomonte, is a large operation in the area that has drawn attention for its water use, Arizona Farm Bureau Chief Executive Philip Bashaw noted the new regulation will impact all farms. 

“It doesn’t matter if it’s Fondomonte or they are family farms that have been in that area for a long time,” he said in a statement to the AP. “Everyone is going to wind up with the same limitations.”