Correlative rights are the actual solution to the rural groundwater management issue. It would, for the first time, give rural Arizonans a right to the water itself based on the amount of land they own. But nobody would be allowed to pump water they don't actually own. This would, of course, solve the problem of out of state mega agribusinesses coming in and pumping basins dry since, in order to do so, they would need to buy all the land in the basin. But then there would not be excuse to create a new layer of government and use it to promote social engineering goals.
I appreciate you taking the time to write this. Any comprehensive response probably requires a one-on-one conversation, of course. However, briefly, a system of correlative rights would not make farming impossible. Far from it. We modeled the amount of water that the average farmer would have in one particular basin under this system of correlative rights if they grew the most water intensive crop possible and it was enough to farm for something like 10,000 years.
Correlative rights are the actual solution to the rural groundwater management issue. It would, for the first time, give rural Arizonans a right to the water itself based on the amount of land they own. But nobody would be allowed to pump water they don't actually own. This would, of course, solve the problem of out of state mega agribusinesses coming in and pumping basins dry since, in order to do so, they would need to buy all the land in the basin. But then there would not be excuse to create a new layer of government and use it to promote social engineering goals.
https://apps.azleg.gov/BillStatus/BillOverview/81458
I have an unsolicited and lengthy response to your bill. Kudos for trying to come up with a solution. Of course, views are my own.
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1g9Zi0QVljhg1yHwejis3ofFMnAiXhKK8N_plnMsxLYo/edit?usp=sharing
I appreciate you taking the time to write this. Any comprehensive response probably requires a one-on-one conversation, of course. However, briefly, a system of correlative rights would not make farming impossible. Far from it. We modeled the amount of water that the average farmer would have in one particular basin under this system of correlative rights if they grew the most water intensive crop possible and it was enough to farm for something like 10,000 years.
I’d wanna see how you parse out the economic/hydrological math and your underlying assumptions. I’ll be in touch. Thanks.