Arizona Water Factsheets

Get to Know Water in Your County

AZ water factsheets graphic showing state and a callout ballon with text
 

The WRRC is pleased to present the Arizona Water Factsheet series

These county-level factsheets are designed to answer common questions about water resources, tailored to every county in Arizona so as to foster understanding of the local nature of Arizona water resource challenges and solutions. Packaging concise water information for a general audience, these resources are nested within the broader Arizona context and address basic water supply and demand, regionally relevant challenges, and sustainability issues for the future. The WRRC draws upon a wide range of existing water-related data, guided by the expertise of a local Technical Advisory Committee (TAC), including, but not limited to, County Cooperative Extension staff. Central to this work is acknowledging the distinct water resources situations, priorities, and values of each county, as defined by local stakeholders. Factsheets for each of Arizona's 15 counties are in development. Keep an eye on this page for new publications in the series.

Support for the Arizona Water Factsheet Series was provided in part by the Technology Research Initiative Fund/Water, Environmental and Energy Solutions Initiative administered by the University of Arizona Office for Research, Innovation and Impact, funded under Proposition 301, the Arizona Sales Tax for Education Act, in 2000.

Statewide Context Of Water In Arizona

arizona ama map

The 1980 Arizona Groundwater Management Act (GMA) created Active Management Areas (AMAs), which introduced regulation and conservation measures in parts of the state with a history of heavy reliance on groundwater. There are six AMAs in the state, the Prescott AMA, Phoenix AMA, Pinal AMA, Tucson AMA, Santa Cruz AMA, and the newly created Douglas AMA. Each AMA maintains a long-term primary management goal that governs AMA management tools and programs, in accordance with the Groundwater Code. Irrigation Non-Expansion Areas (INAs) were also created as part of the GMA to prohibit the expansion of new irrigated acreage within established boundaries and require irrigators to report their water use if they pump groundwater at a rate greater than 35 gallons per minute. There are three INAs in the state, the Harquahala INA, Joseph City INA, and the newly created Hualapai Valley INA. More information on groundwater management can be found through the Arizona Department of Water Resources (ADWR).