SB 1522 Arizona Senate · 57th Legislature - First Regular Session

waterlogged area; exemption area

SB 1522 exempts certain agricultural water users and water districts in the Phoenix active management area from groundwater fees and irrigation duties between 1989 and 2034. Specifically, it waives water duties for farmers with existing irrigation rights on designated land and eliminates groundwater withdrawal fees for the Arlington Canal Company, Buckeye Water Conservation District, and St. John's Irrigation District during this period. Owners of exempted land must pay a $0.25 annual fee per acre (except for small farms under 10 acres), while users of groundwater for non-irrigation purposes must pay a $500 yearly fee. The exemption area is defined by a 1988 map, and the law includes a 2031 review to determine if extensions are needed.

Issues: ✗ Environment

Bill status introduced 1 of 4 stages cleared

Introduction

Feb 2025

Committee Review

Floor Vote

Governor

Introduced Feb 10, 2025 Last action Mar 3, 2025

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What changed between versions

Introduced Version → Senate Engrossed Version · 5 edits

MODERATE

This bill updates Arizona's groundwater exemption rules for the Phoenix active management area, extending fee exemptions through 2034 and adding new requirements for municipal water withdrawals. The changes clarify fee payment responsibilities, establish penalty structures for late payments, and introduce new criteria for determining if municipal groundwater withdrawals are consistent with management goals and sufficient for future water needs.

Scope change

The bill expands the scope to include new provisions for municipal providers withdrawing groundwater to demonstrate assured water supply, with specific determination criteria added to subsection H.

TIMELINE

Extended groundwater fee exemption period from December 31, 2034 to December 31, 2034 (no change in end date, but clarified retroactive application from December 31, 1988).

REQUIREMENT

Added new subsection H requiring the director to determine if municipal groundwater withdrawals up to 10,000 acre-feet are consistent with management goals and sufficient for future water needs.

ELIGIBILITY

Modified fee payment requirements to clarify that water districts delivering water to irrigation acres must pay the exemption fee instead of individual landowners.

ENFORCEMENT

Added penalty provisions allowing the director to assess a 10% per month penalty (up to 60% total) for late fee payments.

TECHNICAL

Reformatted bill text from introduced version to Senate engrossed version with updated header information and section numbering.

Floor votes

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Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions

Key actions

Committee

Amendments

Mar 3, 2025

Upper · Passed

DPA

upper

Feb 18, 2025

Upper · Passed

DPA

upper

1 primary · 0 co-sponsors