About David Brown
David Brown is a water rights attorney at Brown & Brown Law Offices PC representing landowners and stakeholders in Saint Johns, Arizona. Arizona water law is codified in Title 45 of the Arizona Revised Statutes, governed by the Arizona Department of Water Resources, and structured around the doctrine of prior appropriation for surface water, the Groundwater Management Act of 1980, and the ongoing Gila and Little Colorado River general stream adjudications. See contact information below.
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Education
- Law School: Arizona State
Common questions about Water Rights in Arizona
Answered by Arizona Attorney Search Network
What is the Arizona Groundwater Management Act?
The 1980 Groundwater Management Act (ARS Title 45, Chapter 2) created Arizona's groundwater regulatory framework, designating Active Management Areas (AMAs) and Irrigation Non-Expansion Areas (INAs) where pumping is restricted. The Phoenix, Pinal, Prescott, Tucson, and Santa Cruz AMAs cover most of Arizona's population. The Act's goal is achieving 'safe-yield' (no net groundwater depletion) by 2025 in most AMAs.
What is prior appropriation in Arizona water law?
Prior appropriation, codified in ARS Title 45, Chapter 1, is the doctrine that water rights are established by first beneficial use ('first in time, first in right'). Senior right-holders take their full allocation before junior rights take any in times of shortage. Surface water in Arizona is governed by prior appropriation; groundwater is governed by the separate framework of the 1980 Groundwater Management Act.
Does Arizona have water for the future?
Constrained but managed. Arizona's water supply mix - Colorado River (uncertain due to reductions), groundwater (subject to AMA constraints), Salt and Verde river systems (CAP and SRP), and reclaimed water - is enough at current usage with active management, but the Tier 2 Colorado River reduction effective 2024 has tightened the picture. Long-term sustainability requires reduction in agricultural and urban use, settlement of remaining tribal rights, and continued conservation.
Q&As answered by David Brown
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Office Location
Brown & Brown Law Offices PC
PO Box 1890
Saint Johns, AZ 85936
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