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AZ HB2516
Bill
Status
Introduced
1/26/2026
Primary Sponsor
Stephanie Stahl Hamilton
Click for details
AI Summary
- Adds "watershed health uses" as a new legally recognized water use category in Arizona, defined as water conserved in natural watercourses that supports watershed health attributes
- Requires the Director of Water Resources to issue a report every three years assessing the overall health of each watershed in Arizona, evaluating hydrology, landscape condition, habitat, geomorphology, water quality, biological condition, and threats/vulnerabilities
- Mandates a preliminary survey of all Arizona waters by December 31, 2028, including watershed-by-watershed descriptions, identification of subwatersheds with insufficient ecological water, and recommendations for statutory changes
- Directs the department to establish standard measures defining ecological water needs and criteria for examining relationships between ecological needs, groundwater withdrawal, and surface water appropriations
- Allows appropriation and transfer of water rights for watershed health purposes, adding this use type alongside existing categories such as irrigation, municipal, stock watering, and recreation
Legislative Description
Watershed health; use; survey
Last Action
House read second time
1/27/2026
Committee Referrals
Rules1/26/2026
Natural Resources, Energy & Water1/26/2026
Full Bill Text
No bill text available