Arizona’s rural groundwater deal stalls as legislative session nears end

By Associated Press

May 28, 2025

PHOENIX (AP) — Arizona’s governor and the GOP-controlled Legislature are at odds over regulating groundwater pumping in the state’s rural areas — and time is running out.

Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs stood with local Republican leaders at the start of this year’s session, optimistic that Republicans in the Legislature would embrace her proposal to create rural groundwater management areas. But almost four months later, talks have stalled and frustration has mounted as both sides try to find a solution to conserve water that’s increasingly becoming more scarce amid a prolonged drought.

Negotiators have not met since early April, Hobbs’ office said. Around the same time, Republicans and some interest groups grew frustrated with a separate proposal by the Arizona Department of Water Resources to slash overdraft in the Willcox Basin by a percentage that is “unattainable,” said Sen. Tim Dunn, one of the Republican negotiators.

Overdraft refers to when groundwater extraction exceeds what is being replenished.

Hobbs has said that if lawmakers adjourn — typically in the summer — with no deal, she will take matters into her own hands.

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