PHOENIX — In June of 2023, Governor Katie Hobbs announced that she was placing a moratorium on building additional subdivisions in Valley communities that relied solely on one source of water, groundwater in this case, saying that they could not prove they had a 100-year water supply.
However, a plan is in the works that the governor's Water Policy Council endorses, giving these communities the chance to keep building.
"What the governor's Water Policy Council recommended is to find a way to get more water providers designated as having an assured water supply," said Kathleen Ferris, who serves on the council.
Late last year, the council and the Arizona Department of Water Resources were given the task of finding a solution.
A proposal, known as the Alternative Path to Designation of Assured Water Supply or ADAWS, states that communities can acquire new water supplies other than groundwater from outside the Phoenix Metro and use at least 30% of those other supplies.
The proposal is different from the Certificate of Assured Water Supply, which Ferris said is not sustainable.
"Those certificates are not reviewable by the Arizona Department of Water Resources. They're kind of in effect forever once one lot is sold. But a designation is reviewable every 15 years," Ferris stated.
This can give communities like Queen Creek and Buckeye the chance to continue growing. These communities were affected the most in the Valley by Governor Hobbs' moratorium.
The City of Buckeye told ABC15 that they "look forward to continuing the collaboration...to chart both a path to designation...and solutions to restarting development that align with the needs of the city."
In an email to ABC15, the Town of Queen Creek stated that it's "reviewing the draft ADAWS rules to determine if they will be a good fit for the Town's needs and goals."
The Arizona Department of Water Resources will hold an informal meeting with the public on Monday, April 22, and it will be held virtually and in person.
