(Credit: Webbshots, Flickr Creative Commons)Major corporate farms in rural Arizona are being blamed for shrinkage of the water table — reductions of as much as 300 feet below 1950s levels — which is forcing family farmers and residents to dig deeper wells or find other solutions.
In the southeast part of the state, inexpensive land, a year-long growing season, and lax water pumping regulations have drawn agricultural conglomerates like Riverview LLP to the area. And the numerous, large-production wells these companies are digging have had a major impact, according to Jeff Inwood, a chief hydrologist at the Arizona Department of Water Resources (via NBC News).
In areas like Chochise County, surface water is virtually nonexistent. While Tucson and Phoenix get their water from the Colorado River, the southeast part of the state relies on groundwater, the extraction of which is unregulated. That means that those who can afford to dig the deepest wells are the ones who win. Of those who can’t — small, family farms — some are being forced to leave the area.
Others have responded by implementing stricter conservation efforts or switching to crops that require less water.
While many residents and small farm owners blame mega-farms like Riverview for the region’s water struggles, others say these corporations have revitalized the agriculture community in the area. Peggy Judd, the county supervisor who represents Willcox, a small city in Chochise County, is one. Riverview is an economic boon, Judd says; she believes the Willcox basin is a sustainable source, she told Arizona Public Media last year. And Riverview itself says that if it didn’t believe in the long-term viability of the water table, it wouldn’t have relocated to Cochise from Minnesota in 2015.
Though residents in the area pushed groundwater regulations in 2016, they ultimately failed. Judd says that as a whole, the community is “fairly regulation averse.” Still, most water experts and environmentalists believe Arizona needs tighter groundwater restrictions, as nearly 40% of the state’s water supply comes from underground aquifers, according to USA Today.
