A Look at Water Management Efforts in Rural Arizona
Water is a scarce commodity in Arizona. While market forces tend to determine the allocation of most goods and services, a complicated system of law and institutions superimposed on varying land and water forms and patterns of development makes the allocation of water resources extraordinarily complex. Add to that Arizona’s rapid population growth rates, the potential for conflict over water resources is great. The quote attributed to Mark Twain, “Whiskey’s for drinking, water’s for fighting about,” points to a long history of water resource conflicts. No stranger to water conflicts, Arizona has a good record of resolving them. The 1980 Groundwater Management Act is hailed as an innovative, successful framework for managing groundwater in parts of Arizona designated Active Management Areas.