Steven Moore
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About Steven Moore
Steven Moore is a water rights attorney in solo practice representing landowners and stakeholders in Arizona, 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: U of Arizona
Common questions about Water Rights in Arizona
Answered by Arizona Attorney Search Network
What is the Arizona Department of Water Resources?
ADWR is the state agency that administers Arizona's water laws under ARS Title 45 - issuing surface water rights, regulating groundwater in AMAs, managing the Assured Water Supply program, processing well registrations, and maintaining the Water Adequacy Determination process. ADWR is also the lead state agency for the Colorado River and tribal water rights settlements.
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.
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.