Sign the Pledge
Last week, we celebrated a major victory for Arizona’s rivers. On Friday, Governor Doug Ducey signed into law SB 1368/HB 2056, known commonly as the Water Forfeiture Bill. This new law modifies Arizona’s “use it or lose it” water policy, allowing farmers irrigating with surface water to avoid losing a portion of their water rights when working to conserve water on their farms. As the law stood, farmers risked losing their right to any unused portion of their surface water allotment after five years of non-use, discouraging conservation efforts like switching to low water-use crops or upgrading their irrigation systems. Our laws should encourage, not discourage, conservation, and this update to Arizona’s water law is a step in the right direction.