'Enough Is Enough:' Organization Warns Pinal County Farmers Against Demanding More Water

By Kathy Ritchie, Bret Jaspers
Howard Fischer, Capitol Media Services
Published: Friday, January 18, 2019 - 8:30am
Updated: Friday, January 18, 2019 - 1:53pm

An organization that represents major Arizona cities is warning Pinal County farmers not to demand more water from the proposed Drought Contingency Plan.

The Drought Contingency Plan currently promises farmers 105,000 acre feet of Colorado River water for the next three years, and 70,000 acre feet of groundwater for four years after that. The draft legislation also includes $5 million in state cash to drill wells and construct water delivery systems. But farmers want even more.

Warren Tenney, the executive director of the Arizona Municipal Water Users Association, says he believes enough is enough.

“We feel that under the implementation plan they are being well taken care of. In fact, the DCP implementation plan is providing more water for Pinal agricultural interests than they would receive if there was no DCP," Tenney said.

The attorney who represents the Pinal County farmers says cities have been boosting their water order recently which skews the cuts needed by farmers.

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