Wondering if your land will be within the boundaries of the proposed Willcox/Sulphur Springs AMA? Here is a map with the outline of the proposed AMA region. The entire City of Willcox is included in the Willcox/Sulphur Springs Basin as is the northern portion of Sulphur Springs Valley. This includes Bonita, Sunsites/Pearce, Sunizona, Dos Cabezas, and Kansas Settlement.

Willcox Groundwater Basin

On November 8, 2022, voters in Cochise County will have an opportunity to vote on converting the Douglas Groundwater Basin from an INA – Irrigation Non-Expansion Area – into an Active Management Area (AMA). This will be the first time a community will vote on this designation.

The 1980 Arizona Groundwater Management Act created both the laws around the creation of Active Management Areas (AMA) and Irrigation Non-Expansion Areas (INA). Douglas is in an INA, which was designated by the Director of the Arizona Department of Water Resources. The INA provides for more local management of water use in a region – such as the Douglas groundwater basin.

Creating an AMA isn’t necessary; it just adds another layer of bureaucracy.

By Arizona state law, an AMA severely restricts what landowners can do on their property, especially regarding the withdrawal and use of groundwater. If you have property you intend to develop, or if you intend to expand your farm, ranch, or vineyard, an AMA could put an end to those plans. Likewise, if you have land you’d like to develop for housing, an AMA will require you to demonstrate a 100-year assured water supply before you can build.

If an AMA is created, your water use will be frozen and property owners will only be allowed to irrigate land that had been under irrigation during the five years prior to the AMA. To continue to irrigate, you will have 15 months to petition the state and gain permission to continue your use of your water on your property. Even for the land you are already irrigating, you will need to obtain permission from the state within the same 15-month timeframe. Cities, towns, private water companies and irrigation districts also would be required to obtain a service area right from the state to withdraw groundwater for delivery to landowners and residents within their service area.

Douglas Groundwater Basin

The Willcox/Sulphur Springs Groundwater Basin includes part of Cochise and Graham Counties and they will be asked to vote on creating an Active Management Area (AMA) for this region November 8. If adopted, an AMA designation will dramatically alter who can access water in our community. This will be the first time in Arizona history that a community will vote on an AMA designation.

By Arizona state law, an AMA severely restricts what landowners can do on their property, especially regarding the withdrawal and use of groundwater.

If an AMA is created, your water use will be frozen and property owners will only be allowed to irrigate land that had been under irrigation during the five years prior to the AMA. To continue to irrigate, you will have 15 months to petition the state and gain permission to continue your use of your water on your property. This includes land already irrigated. Cities, towns, private water companies and irrigation districts also would be required to obtain a service area right from the state to withdraw groundwater for delivery to landowners and residents within their service area.

If your land is within an AMA and you are withdrawing groundwater, you will be required to measure your groundwater using a device and method approved by the state, and you will be required to report any groundwater withdrawals to the state. You will also be required to secure and pay a water quality assurance fee to the state.

An AMA will remove local control

If an AMA is approved, the Governor will name a director and a board to create a water management plan for the Willcox (Sulphur Springs) groundwater basin. If your land is placed within the AMA and you are already withdrawing groundwater, you will be required to measure your use of groundwater with a device and a method approved by the state; you will also be required to report any groundwater withdrawals to the state, and secure and pay a water quality assurance fee to the state.

Beyond issues of private land use, an AMA could have a negative impact on our regional economy, the heart of which is agriculture. Better than most, those who manage these job-creating businesses know the importance of local water stewardship. An AMA would put Arizona government in charge of the future of the Cochise County economy, removing local control of local water.

An AMA will hurt the regional economy

Willcox, AZ.