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HB 2415

basin-fill aquifers; groundwater; correlative rights

57th Legislature - First Regular Session Introduced by Alex Kolodin

Arizona bill establishing correlative rights doctrine for basin-fill aquifer groundwater to clarify proportional claims among multiple competing water users.

House Second Reading
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Bill Summary · HB 2415

Legislative bill overview

HB 2415 addresses the management and rights associated with basin-fill aquifers and groundwater in Arizona. The bill appears to establish or clarify "correlative rights"—the legal doctrine that groundwater users in the same aquifer have proportional claims to shared water resources. This legislation likely aims to modernize Arizona's groundwater management framework regarding how multiple users can extract water from interconnected aquifer systems.

Why is this important

Arizona depends heavily on groundwater for agriculture, municipal supply, and industry, making aquifer management critical for long-term water security. The correlative rights framework could reshape how water conflicts are resolved between agricultural, industrial, and urban users competing for the same groundwater resources. Given Arizona's arid climate and ongoing drought concerns, clarifying these legal rights affects billions of dollars in economic activity and millions of residents' water access.

Potential points of contention

  • Agricultural vs. urban interests: Farmers may resist restrictions on groundwater extraction that prioritize municipal growth, while cities may push for stricter allocation limits to secure future supplies
  • Existing water rights: Clarifying correlative rights could challenge historic groundwater usage patterns, creating winners and losers among current users who have operated under older legal assumptions
  • Implementation and enforcement: Determining how to measure and monitor individual correlative rights across complex aquifer systems presents technical and administrative challenges

Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.

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