Two new bills have been introduced in the 2025 legislative session that would directly impact the Willcox Basin AMA.
SB1520 – Basin Management Areas (BMAs)
- sponsored by Senator Tim Dunn
- similar in some ways to SB1221
- already passed out of the Senate NREW committee and full Senate
- endorsed by the AZ Farm Bureau and AZ Cattleman's Association
•HB2714—Rural Groundwater Management Areas (RGMAs)
- sponsored by Representative Chris Mathis and Senator Priya Sundareshan
- not granted a hearing in the House or Senate
- endorsed by Greg Hancock, Mayor of Willcox, and Ed Curry, local multigenerational farmer and other local elected officials (mayors, supervisors) across rural Arizona
Both bills have provisions to replace the current AMA.
Both bills have similar features and address some of the shortcomings of an AMA – BUT there are significant differences that are relevant to the Willcox Basin. The attached presentation presents a side by side comparison of the AMA, BMA and RGMA framework. Review the presentation and decide which option has the most potential to address the groundwater challenges of the Willcox Basin.
AMA-BMA-RGMA Side by side comparison 2025