SB 1611 Summary

• Establishes a groundwater savings program allowing owners of land with irrigation grandfathered rights in the Phoenix and Pinal active management areas to permanently relinquish those rights in exchange for groundwater savings credits (150 acre-feet per acre in Phoenix, 100 acre-feet per acre in Pinal).

• Permits groundwater savings credits to be pledged to certificates of assured water supply, exempting the associated water volume from physical availability requirements if specific conditions are met regarding well location, usage restrictions, and 100-year sustainability.

• Prohibits municipalities in initial active management areas from enforcing landscaping, turf, tree, or decorative water feature requirements in subdivisions where groundwater savings credits have been pledged to certificates of assured water supply.

• Limits the program to applications submitted by December 31, 2030, and repeals Section 45-465.05 on December 31, 2035, with provisions allowing the Director of Water Resources to extend the program by ten years if determined to be in the best interest of each active management area.

• Restricts water from groundwater savings credits from being used for non-recreational turf, water parks, or decorative water features, and prohibits homeowner associations from requiring such amenities.