Hobbs willing to use administrative action over water

Governor Katie Hobbs spent Thursday touring the Willcox area to get a first-hand look at water issues in rural, eastern Cochise County.

Willcox officials, including the mayor and city manager, told Hobbs that large corporate farms use more water in a day than all of the residents of the town. They also said they have set up water fill stations for residents whose wells have run dry but can not afford to pay for deeper wells.

Hobbs also stopped at a fissure cutting across open land. Water officials told the governor that fissures, which dot the county, are the result of falling aquifers and they cannot be repaired.

During a meeting with farmers and residents in the home of a local homeowner, Hobbs heard stories about wells going dry and fears that they would not be able to continue farming or sell their homes due to the high price of drilling deeper wells.

All of those who the governor spoke with blamed the falling water tables on corporate farms that have the money to dig deeper wells.

The Willcox area, like much of rural Arizona, does not have water regulation laws. Hobbs laid the blame at the feet of the legislature.

"And I understand the urgency, and after today hearing from all of you I understand it even more and I wasn't one of the people sticking my head in the sand saying 'Oh it will be fine'. And I am prepared to take administrative action if we can't get a legislative path forward," Hobbs told the group.

The governor did not say how long she will wait for state lawmakers to act before she steps in.

The legislature returns to work in January after the election.

This story is part of AZPM's continuing coverage of water issues. For more download our podcast Tapped

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