State Schedules Hearing, Seeks Data to Create Ranegras Plain Active Management Area

On November 21 the Arizona Department of Water Resources announced a public hearing to present factual data in support of establishing an Active Management Area for the Ranegras Plain groundwater basin. The meeting is set for 4 p.m. on Thursday, December 18 at Desert Gold RV Park, 46628 US 60 East in Brenda. ADWR will make the session available by livestream, opening the technical record to those who cannot attend in person.

Active Management Areas are statutory tools Arizona uses to regulate groundwater use and to address long term aquifer sustainability. The hearing will present the data ADWR says underpins its determination that conditions in the Ranegras Plain warrant consideration of more formal groundwater oversight. That presentation is an early but critical step in an administrative process that can lead to the adoption of management measures such as monitoring requirements, limits on withdrawals, and other conservation policies tailored to the basin.

For La Paz County residents the potential designation carries practical consequences. Many homes and small communities in the eastern part of the county rely on private wells and on groundwater that is not part of municipal delivery systems. Farmers and irrigators in nearby basins have voiced concern about heavy agricultural pumping and the strain that can impose on neighboring groundwater levels. If the Ranegras Plain is brought under an Active Management Area framework, new regulatory requirements could affect well permitting, long term access to groundwater, and local land use decisions.

Institutionally this hearing underscores the role of ADWR as the state agency responsible for groundwater stewardship under Arizona law. The public hearing is intended to test the factual basis for action and to provide a record for any subsequent rule making or administrative steps. Community participation during the hearing and through the published record can influence the scope and timing of any measures considered.

Local civic engagement will shape outcomes. Residents and water users who wish to follow the proceedings can attend at Desert Gold RV Park or view the livestream. Given the possible long term impacts on water security, property planning, and agricultural operations, participation at this hearing and in follow up processes will be a primary avenue for La Paz County voters and stakeholders to hold policymakers accountable and to shape groundwater policy for the region.