The Arizona Department of Water Resources (ADWR) has been tasked with developing a model which will enable staff to determine just how much water is in all the nooks and crannies of the Willcox basin and others around the state. Rep. Gail Griffin (R–LD14) tasked the agency, which oversees water issues within the various basins in the state, to prepare a report so legislators can make more informed decisions before making rural groundwater policies, she stated. “Are groundwater levels decreasing in certain basins? Yes, but the first step should be to stop the bleeding to prevent the rate of decline from getting worse. Then we can develop tools to help stabilize the aquifer and find ways to put more water back in the basin, such as groundwater recharge, reuse and new technology for farming,” she stated.

Other Arizona water news:

• Arizona Daily Star (Tucson, Ariz.): Opinion: Tucson strains to justify water rate hike on county residents
• The Daily Courier (Prescott Valley, Ariz.): Opinion: Talk of the Town: State government tells rural residents to dry up
• ABC15 (Phoenix, Ariz.): Video: See how 13 million miles of watersheds supply water to the Valley