REFERENCE TITLE: west basin water users; committee

State of Arizona House of Representatives Fifty-fourth Legislature First Regular Session 2019

HB 2467

Introduced by Representative Cobb

 

AN ACT

 

establishing the Mohave county and La Paz county west basin water users study committee.

 

 

(TEXT OF BILL BEGINS ON NEXT PAGE)

 

Be it enacted by the Legislature of the State of Arizona:

Section 1.  Mohave county and La Paz county west basin water users study committee; membership; duties; report; delayed repeal

A.  The Mohave County La Paz County west basin water users study committee is established consisting of twenty members.  The members are appointed to represent the users of groundwater in the Hualapai Valley basin, the Sacramento Valley basin, the Renegras Plain basin, the McMullen Valley basin and the Butler Valley basin.

B.  The members shall be appointed on the basis of their knowledge of, interest in and experience with the development, use and conservation of water and must reside or own property in the prescribed county.  The members shall be appointed as follows:

1.  Two persons who represent agriculture in Mohave county and two persons who represent agriculture in La Paz county.  The speaker of the house of representatives shall appoint one person from Mohave county and one person from La Paz county, and the president of the senate shall appoint one person from Mohave county and one person from La Paz county.

2.  One county supervisor from Mohave county who is appointed by the speaker of the house of representatives and one county supervisor from La Paz county who is appointed by the president of the senate.

3.  One city or town council member or the mayor of a city or town that is located in Mohave county who is appointed by the president of the senate and one city or town council member or the mayor of a city or town that is located in La Paz county who is appointed by the speaker of the house of representatives.

4.  One person who represents industrial water users in Mohave county who is appointed by the speaker of the house of representatives and one person who represents industrial water users in La Paz county who is appointed by the president of the senate.

5.  One person who represents a natural resource conservation district that is located in Mohave county who is appointed by the president of the senate and one person who represents a natural resource conservation district that is located in La Paz county who is appointed by the speaker of the house of representatives.

6.  One person who represents mining water users in Mohave county who is appointed by the speaker of the house of representatives and one person who represents mining water users in La Paz county who is appointed by the president of the senate.

7.  One member of the public who owns five or more water wells in Mohave county who is appointed by the president of the senate and one member of the public who owns five or more water wells in La Paz county who is appointed by the speaker of the house of representatives.

8.  Two members of the house of representatives who are appointed by the speaker of the house of representatives and who represent a legislative district that contains one or more of the basins prescribed in subsection A of this section.

9.  Two members of the senate who are appointed by the president of the senate and who represent a legislative district that contains one or more of the basins prescribed in subsection A of this section.

C.  The Mohave county and La Paz county west basin users study committee shall:

1.  Receive and analyze all groundwater withdrawal data developed by the department of water resources.

2.  Advise the director of water resources and make recommendations on programs and policies for the basins prescribed in subsection A of this section.

3.  Review and advise the director regarding the independent consultant's report in which the independent consultant estimates the rate of groundwater depletion in the northwest basins planning area and estimates the number of years of groundwater that remains in the basins.

4. Submit a report of its recommendations to the director of water resources, the governor, the speaker of the house of representatives and the president of the senate on or before December 31, 2021 and provide a copy of this report to the secretary of state

D.  Members of the study committee are not eligible to receive compensation, but are eligible for reimbursement of expenses.

E.  This section is repealed from and after June 30, 2022.