ARIZONA CONSIDERS WATER PROTECTIONS—Increasing sprawl is threatening Arizona’s already depleted water supply. Arizona PIRG is following up on our work during the fall elections to build support for critical water protection measures.

Water Campaign Goes To Legislature
As the Arizona Legislature heads back into session, Arizona PIRG is prepared to work with elected officials to protect our state’s water supply.

To build support for the Our Water, Our Future campaign, Arizona PIRG is following up with legislators who pledged to support efforts for our state’s water to be conserved, used efficiently, restored wherever it is taken out of our water supply and to ensure all Arizonans have a 100-year local, clean water supply.

Diane E. Brown, executive director of Arizona PIRG said, “Republicans and Democrats, incumbents and newly-elected officials, urban and rural legislators have agreed there is a need to address our state’s diminishing water supply and we look forward to working with them on this critical problem.”

Protecting Our Water Supply
In order to conserve our water, we must not consume more than our renewable supply. We can accomplish this by focusing growth where there is a sustainable, long-term amount of water and by monitoring and planning for our current and future use.

Also, all sectors of our economy need to use water wisely, not wastefully, to obtain the most value from this precious resource. In order to accomplish this, statewide water efficiency standards should be set for urban, agriculture and energy uses.

Finally, we must use local groundwater supplies in a sustainable manner to protect the environment and local economies. When groundwater is transferred from one part of the state to another, that water is no longer available to the communities and ecosystems where it originated.