How Arizona Does it: Lessons to be Learned
Source: MITA-AZ.ORG
One of the hottest states in America, Arizona is also a very active state in water conservation and drought management. The Department of Water Resources that manages long term water supplies in Arizona has areas that they designated as being Active Management Areas (AMAs), and these AMAs use water systems that draw water from different sources such as surface, ground, and reclaimed wastewater. These different systems are required and therefore equipped to deal with droughts and system failures. Prescott, Phoenix, Pinal, Tucson, and Santa Cruz which are Arizona’s five AMAs follow the Groundwater Code.
And for new developments to be built in these AMAs, the state requires proof of a 100-year renewable
supply of water before the construction can begin.
Arizona also utilizes long-term storage credit program managed by the Arizona Department of Water Resources where the holder earns credits when their water is stored underground for more than one year. The holder then can use the credits accumulated to recover their water in the future.
Lastly, Arizona’s diligent drought management provides guidelines for other states to follow. The state
plans for drought by monitoring the state’s drought status constantly. There are Arizona Drought
Monitoring Technical Committee, Arizona Drought Interagency Coordinating Group, and Local
Drought Impact groups that cover the state’s drought preparation from data gathering,
resource management, decision making, education and mitigation of drought, to reporting.
For further resources check out these websites: www.azcentral.com/, https://new.azwater.gov/drought/arizona-drought-planning, https://new.azwater.gov/ama, http://www.gilawater.com/
Keywords: Arizona, Drought, Ojai, AMAs, Water Conservation, Drought Management, Water Resource, Water Scarcity, California Water, Arizona Water
By Eva Park
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