Contributed article
PHOENIX — State Rep. Gail Griffin, R-Hereford, today issued a statement regarding the opportunity to increase groundwater recharge in rural Arizona communities that have had challenges with groundwater.
“Throughout rural Arizona, residents have had challenges with groundwater and asked leaders to take action to help address rural groundwater. For years, lawmakers have answered the call and worked on implementing policies that would increase groundwater recharge for local communities.
“In 2016 and 2021, we passed legislation to direct the Arizona Department of Water Resources and State Land Department to identify sites that could be utilized to develop groundwater recharge facilities. As a result of the legislation, the agencies identified more than 300 locations statewide that could be utilized immediately to increase local water supplies for rural communities.
“In rural groundwater basins like the Big Chino and Upper San Pedro, only two- to five-percent of the rainwater that touches the ground actually infiltrates the soil deep enough to increase local groundwater supplies. The rest evaporates before it has a chance to recharge the aquifer.
“According to experts, increasing the percentage of rainwater that infiltrates the aquifer by just a few percentage points could be enough to address local concerns for years. Investing in new groundwater recharge projects represents a clear step in the right direction that can be taken to help increase the amount of water available to local communities.
“Let’s focus on developing these proposed statewide sites and utilizing other tools available to increase groundwater, rather than top-down government mandates that would negatively affect local economies and job opportunities. Let’s work together for a win-win scenario that puts water in the ground and provides sensible solutions that protect rural Arizona.”
A high-resolution map identifying 331 sites for the potential development of new underground water storage and groundwater recharge facilities on State Trust Land throughout Arizona can be viewed here: bit.ly/3ymsaiN.
Griffin is a Republican member of the Arizona House of Representatives serving Legislative District 19, which includes areas of Greenlee, Graham, Cochise, and eastern Pima and Santa Cruz Counties. Griffin chairs the House Natural Resources, Energy & Water Committee and is co-chair of the Joint Legislative Ad Hoc Study Committee on Water Security.
