HB 2581 Summary

• Adds "ecological water" definition to Arizona water law, meaning water necessary to sustain freshwater ecosystems, wildlife habitat, and human livelihoods dependent on those ecosystems.

• Requires the Director of Water Resources to establish standard measures using best available science to define ecological water needs and monitor, maintain, improve and restore surface water systems statewide.

• Establishes the Ecological Water Stewardship Program requiring the Director to publish preliminary watershed reports, hold public hearings, and respond to public comments on ecological water determinations.

• Authorizes the Director to appropriate unappropriated water and purchase or lease existing water rights to meet ecological water requirements in watersheds with insufficient water.

• Creates the Ecological Water Stewardship Fund to support acquisition of water rights for ecological purposes, funded by legislative appropriations and public or private grants, with program termination set for July 1, 2028.