PHOENIX — The unincorporated town of Wenden in La Paz County is sinking due to the over pumping of groundwater.
The over pumping causes a phenomenon known as subsidence, according to La Paz County Supervisor Holly Irwin.
“The land starts to literally sink,” Irwin told KTAR News 92.3 FM. “That’s due to the over pumping of groundwater in the area over the decades.”
She identified two possible solutions: passing a state law that restricts groundwater pumping or having the governor establish an active management area.
These measures are necessary because no amount of water recharge can push the land back up, she said.
No Arizona restrictions on industrial groundwater pumping
There are no state laws that restrict groundwater pumping, making Arizona an attractive state for industries that use large amounts of water, such as data centers.
Whoever purchases the land has the right to use as much of the groundwater as they want. Industrial over pumping is largely to blame for the subsidence.
“Those that are nonexempt wells that have the capacity to pull out an enormous amount of water per minute,” Irwin said.
Wenden is also a transfer basin, meaning state statute dictates that water can be transferred to another basin if it goes dry first.
How is industrial groundwater pumping impacting residents?
A local RV park in Wenden lost their well within the last year and had to pay about $125,000 to dig a new one.
Five months later, a separate group of residents near the park faced the same issue and had to repair their well for around the same amount.
Irwin said this is a massive burden on local communities because they have to construct new wells that go even deeper into the groundwater basin.
“The deeper you go, the more expensive it can be … because you have to go deeper than where the well is already at,” Irwin said.
Where are groundwater reform efforts in Arizona now?
Irwin has been working with state lawmakers on groundwater reform since 2016, but no legislation has passed.
“We’re seeing special interests come here and buy up property and we know it’s for the groundwater,” she said.
Irwin believes Gov. Katie Hobbs could help Wenden by creating an Active Management Area (AMA) in La Paz County, which would bring stricter rules on groundwater pumping.
“Groundwater management is so critical for these areas that don’t have restrictions on the basin,” Irwin said.
She thinks an AMA could soon be established for the Ranegras Plain Basin near Vicksburg.
Last week, the Arizona Department of Water Resources held a public meeting to explain the status of the basin and the differences between an AMA and an Irrigation Non-Expansion Area.
“In my opinion, any protection is better than nothing,” Irwin said. “You gotta turn the spigot off somewhere, at least slow it way down.”
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