Karrin Taylor Robson, a candidate for governor in Arizona, has emphasized that groundwater management should be directed by local authorities. She advocates for support in areas such as reuse, storage, permitting reforms, and agriculture rather than relying on statewide mandates. This statement was made on the social media platform X.
“Great question about groundwater at the Gila County Republican Committee potluck,” said Taylor Robson, Candidate for Governor of Arizona. “Water is Arizona’s lifeblood and a defining challenge for the future of our state. I believe it’s a local issue, and Katie Hobbs’ one-size-fits-all big government mandates ignore local realities. As Governor, I’ll return control to local leaders, invest in reuse and storage, cut red tape for smart projects, and back our farmers and ranchers who are already innovating to make every drop count.”
Arizona’s approach to groundwater policy is primarily based on the 1980 Groundwater Management Act. This legislation established Active Management Areas (AMAs) with required conservation plans but left most rural basins without regulation. Between 2023 and 2025, Governor Katie Hobbs introduced reforms aimed at enhancing local control through the Rural Groundwater Management Act. This act allows counties to create new management areas with elected councils responsible for implementing conservation goals. These initiatives are part of her broader strategy to balance state oversight with community autonomy, according to the Office of the Arizona Governor.
The Arizona Department of Water Resources reports that the Phoenix AMA model anticipates an unmet groundwater demand of 4.86 million acre-feet over the next century if current conditions persist. State dashboards indicate that agriculture accounts for approximately 70% of groundwater withdrawals, followed by municipal and industrial uses. Overdraft levels vary by basin, highlighting the pressure on Arizona’s aquifers as population growth surpasses recharge capacity.
Data from the Arizona Department of Water Resources also reveals that counties with formal AMAs, such as Phoenix and Tucson, have achieved significant conservation results. In contrast, unregulated basins like Willcox face severe overdraft issues exceeding 100,000 acre-feet annually. In response to this situation, ADWR designated Willcox as a new AMA in 2025 with a goal to reduce overdraft by 50% by 2075. This difference underscores the effectiveness of structured local management.
Taylor Robson is a Republican business executive and land-use attorney who served on the Arizona Board of Regents from 2017 to 2021. She previously ran for governor in 2022 and announced her second gubernatorial campaign in February 2025, focusing on conservative governance and water policy reform, according to Axios Phoenix.
