A. The irrigation water duty shall be used to determine the maximum amount of groundwater which may be used pursuant to section 45-465, subsection B and debits and credits to the flexibility account as set forth in section 45-467. Except as provided in subsection B of this section, the irrigation water duty shall not be applied to diminish surface water delivered to lands pursuant to appropriative surface water rights or decreed surface water rights.

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Terms Used In Arizona Laws 45-466

  • 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or, in the case of the Santa Cruz active management area, active management of any water, other than stored water, withdrawn from a well.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
  • 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
  • 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
  • Irrigate: means to apply water to 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
  • Stored water: means water that is stored underground for the purpose of recovery pursuant to a permit issued under chapter 3. See Arizona Laws 45-402
  • Surface water: means the waters of all sources, flowing in streams, canyons, ravines or other natural channels, or in definite underground channels, whether perennial or intermittent, floodwater, wastewater or surplus water, and of lakes, ponds and springs on the surface. See Arizona Laws 45-101
  • 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
  • Well: means a man-made opening in the earth through which water may be withdrawn or obtained from beneath the surface of the earth except as provided in Section 45-591. See Arizona Laws 45-402

B. In the Santa Cruz active management area, the irrigation water duty shall be used to determine the maximum amount of water, other than stored water, withdrawn from a well which may be used to irrigate the irrigation acres in a farm.