Arizona Laws 45-465.04. Use of groundwater to water plants in containers as non-irrigation use; right to use groundwater withdrawn pursuant to irrigation grandfathered right to water plants in containers; definition
A. The use of groundwater to water plants in containers on or above the surface of the ground is a non-irrigation use in an active management area.
Terms Used In Arizona Laws 45-465.04
- Active management area: means a geographical area that has been designated pursuant to article 2 of this chapter as requiring active management of groundwater or, in the case of the Santa Cruz active management area, active management of any water, other than stored water, withdrawn from a well. See Arizona Laws 45-402
- Director: means the director of water resources, who is also the director of the department. See Arizona Laws 45-101
- Farm: means an area of irrigated land that is under the same ownership, that is served by a water distribution system common to the irrigated land and to which can be applied common conservation, water measurement and water accounting procedures. See Arizona Laws 45-402
- Grandfathered right: means a right to withdraw and use groundwater pursuant to article 5 of this chapter based on the fact of lawful withdrawals and use of groundwater before the date of the designation of an active management area. See Arizona Laws 45-402
- Groundwater: means water under the surface of the earth regardless of the geologic structure in which it is standing or moving. See Arizona Laws 45-101
- Initial active management area: means the Phoenix, Prescott or Pinal active management area established by section 45-411, the Tucson active management area established by section 45-411 and modified by Section 45-411. See Arizona Laws 45-402
- Irrigation grandfathered right: means a grandfathered right determined pursuant to section 45-465. See Arizona Laws 45-402
- Irrigation use: means :
(a) With respect to areas outside an active management area and with respect to an active management area other than the Santa Cruz active management area, the use of groundwater on two or more acres of land to produce plants or parts of plants for sale or human consumption, or for use as feed for livestock, range livestock or poultry, as such terms are defined in section 3-1201. See Arizona Laws 45-402
- Non-irrigation use: means :
(a) With respect to areas outside an active management area and with respect to an active management area other than the Santa Cruz active management area, a use of groundwater other than an irrigation use. See Arizona Laws 45-402
- Owner: means :
(a) With respect to an irrigation grandfathered right or a type 1 non-irrigation grandfathered right, the owner of the land to which the right is appurtenant. See Arizona Laws 45-461
- Person: means an individual, public or private corporation, company, partnership, firm, association, society, estate or trust, any other private organization or enterprise, the United States, any state, territory or country or a governmental entity, political subdivision or municipal corporation organized under or subject to the constitution and laws of this state. See Arizona Laws 45-402
- water duty: means the amount of water in acre-feet per acre that is reasonable to apply to irrigated land in a farm unit during the accounting period, as determined by the director pursuant to sections 45-564 through 45-568 or as prescribed in section 45-483. See Arizona Laws 45-402
B. Notwithstanding subsection A of this section, in an initial active management area, a person who holds a certificate of irrigation grandfathered right may withdraw groundwater pursuant to the right and use the groundwater to water plants in containers on or above the surface of the certificated acres if the plants are grown for sale or human consumption or for use as feed for livestock, range livestock or poultry, as those terms are defined in section 3-1201.
C. A person who holds a certificate of irrigation grandfathered right shall separately measure with a measuring device approved by the director pursuant to section 45-604 any groundwater used for watering plants in containers on or above the surface of the certificated acres and any groundwater used for an irrigation use on the certificated acres.
D. Except as provided in Section 45-563.02, if a person uses groundwater to water plants in containers pursuant to subsection B of this section, the total amount of water used by the person for that purpose and for any irrigation uses on the certificated acres may not exceed the amount allowed by the irrigation water duty for the farm.
E. The director may not register credits to the flexibility account established pursuant to section 45-467 for a farm in any year in which the person who holds the certificate of irrigation grandfathered right for the farm uses groundwater to water plants in containers on or above the surface of the certificated acres pursuant to subsection B of this section.
F. On request by the owner of a certificate of irrigation grandfathered right, the director shall separate the certificate into two certificates, with one certificate for those certificated acres on which plants in containers are watered with groundwater pursuant to subsection B of this section and one certificate for those certificated acres on which groundwater is used for an irrigation use. If the director separates a certificate of irrigation grandfathered right into two certificates pursuant to this subsection, the certificated acres associated with each certificate shall be considered a separate farm for purposes of subsection E of this section. The director may not separate a certificate of irrigation grandfathered right into two certificates pursuant to this subsection if it would result in the issuance of a certificate of irrigation grandfathered right with less than two certificated acres.
G. For the purposes of this section, "certificated acres" means the acres described on the certificate of irrigation grandfathered right.