Today We Celebrate 40 Years of Groundwater Management

Forty years ago today, on June 12, 1980, water managers in Arizona took a monumental step toward addressing severe groundwater overdraft in the State's most populous regions with the passage of the Groundwater Management Act (GMA). The GMA set in place a framework for managing groundwater resources and established the Arizona Department of Water Resources to administer its provisions. At the time, no other state came close to creating such a long-term planning structure to safeguard water-certainty for its residents. The GMA created a management structure we are still building upon today and a culture of statewide water discussion and collaboration that will carry us into the future. We, in the water world, are very grateful to those that helped nurture the GMA and bring about its passage. Forty years later, the WRRC joins in the celebration of the GMA with our virtual conference on June 18-19, Water at the Crossroads: The Next 40 Years. Governor Bruce Babbitt, an important leader and voice in the negotiation of the GMA 40 years ago, will provide the opening keynote address in both a reflective and forward-looking presentation. Kathy Ferris, who was a key member of the group that worked so hard to pass the Act, is speaking on a panel of past ADWR directors and is also participating in a conference Happy Hour. We are proud to support today's statewide conversation about water and to help honor this amazing moment in history when Arizona took a stand to actively manage its precious groundwater resources.

 

Photo: AZ Water