Environment (Coastal & Flood Protection)

HB 2723 allows cities or towns with historically irrigated land in Arizona's Big Chino groundwater subbasin to withdraw and transport groundwater to the Prescott Active Management Area (AMA), subject to specific limits. The annual withdrawal amount is based on retired irrigated acres (1975-1990), calculated as three acre-feet per acre, with yearly limits capped at twice the annual allotment or ten times over a decade. Before withdrawal, entities must obtain a "certificate of adequate mitigation" proving no harm to base flow, water quality, or flood cycles, requiring annual monitoring at the Paulden stream gage and specific mitigation actions like recharging treated water or retiring irrigated land. The bill mandates ten-year certificate renewals and detailed annual reports on withdrawal impacts and mitigation efforts.