TUCSON CITIZEN: Fri., Jan. 26, 2007

Proposed rules needed, water czar says

By Samantha Novick, Cronkite News Service

Proposed legislation that includes giving rural communities the power to stop developments lacking assured water is "good public policy" that will help put planning before growth, Arizona's top water official said Wednesday.

"We allow growth to occur without a water supply, and to me that just isn't common sense," Herb Guenther, director of the Arizona Department of Water Resources, said. "The good policy would be to get out in front and plan for that growth rather than get in a crisis situation," Guenther said. "Smart growth is growth that's planned for."

Most rural areas aren't held to the same water standards as more urban areas such as Phoenix, Tucson and Prescott, which are in active-management areas. State law requires new developments in these areas to prove a 100-year assured water supply. There is no such requirement outside those areas.

In developments outside active-management areas, only the first buyer of a home must be told of an inadequate water supply. Subsequent buyers don't have to be told.

The Statewide Water Advisory Group sent proposals to the Legislature this month that include allowing communities to adopt water adequacy standards used in active-management areas, creating a loan fund to help improve rural water systems and forcing home sellers to disclose inadequate water supplies to all future buyers. Guenther said the recommendations would help rural communities plan for growth rather than respond to it.

"We've got to be smart about water," Guenther said. "Whether it be a 100-year supply or a 20-year supply, the fact is that if you don't have that water, you have got to find something to replace it. It's good public policy if you plan not only for the existing population, but for the future population."