The Town of Quartzsite in far western Arizona is asking the state Legislature for help with its effort to lease out its Colorado River allocation.

The lease would earn Quartzsite money it could spend on improving its groundwater system. The Central Arizona Water Conservation District would lease Quartzsite’s 1,070 annual allocation and bring it into central Arizona.

But last month, the Arizona Department of Water Resources said it won’t recommend the lease.

At a public meeting in Buckeye on state water issues, Jim Ferguson, town manager of Quartzsite, asked a panel of lawmakers to use its influence with ADWR.

“And perhaps help us in showing them why this is important to this little rural community out there,” he said.

The federal government has the final say on whether the lease will go through, but the state’s opinion carries a lot of weight.