TUCSON CITIZEN: Thurs., Jan. 11, 2007
Blueprint seeks to link growth, water
The Arizona Republic
For the better part of a year, more than 50 people have sweated over how to build a bridge to connect two parts of Arizona: growth and water.
The link barely exists in rapidly growing rural areas. Developers can build homes without a proven water supply. Water users can drill wells and never report how much they pump. Towns expand without sufficient water infrastructure. But the Statewide Water Advisory Group's blueprint, due Friday, could help propel reform in the Legislature.
Now: In Maricopa, Pima, Pinal and Santa Cruz counties and parts of Yavapai County, developers can't build a subdivision without a proven 100-year water supply. In the rest of the state, developers can build homes even if the state concludes there is an inadequate water supply.
Cities and counties lack clear authority to reject subdivisions that lack enough water.
Proposed: Cities and counties could approve subdivision plans only when the state has determined that the water supply is adequate. The state could consider local conditions in its decision, such as the depth needed to tap an aquifer.
FULL STORY: http://www.tucsoncitizen.com/daily/local/38272.php