Cochise County residents, farmers to vote on water regulations in the coming election

WILLCOX, Ariz. (KGUN) — Growing pecan trees in the desert takes a lot of water.

“A full grown pecan tree will take 100 gallons of water per day per tree,” said Paul Lee, a Willcox farmer.

Luckily for Lee, water usage is unregulated in Cochise County.

“I couldn’t get by with less water than I have now, period," Lee said.

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The upcoming election could change this. There are two initiatives that would turn the Willcox and Douglas water basins into active management areas, also known as AMAs. The state’s Department of Water Resources would then regulate water usage in those basins, and essentially, throughout Cochise County.

“Nobody knows what they’re going to do, if they’re going to meter your well, charge you per gallon, or what the end result’s going to be,” Lee said.

These initiatives are especially concerning for farmers who cant survive with less water.

"This is our life," Lee said. "Our dream, our life, everything. It’s not right for the government telling you what to do every minute of the day.”

But the Department of Water Resources says groundwater levels in the region have dropped significantly over the last decade. Many wells are going dry.

“It cost me $14,000 to deepen my water well,” said Mark Spencer, Pearce resident.

It’s one reason Spencer is in support of the AMA. He says without it, large agricultural corporations will continue to move into Cochise County and overuse the groundwater.

“Water in Arizona is public property. If they’re going to use public property for private gain, there needs to be reasonable regulation to be sure they don’t run the rest of us dry,” Spencer said.

Spencer says the AMA will allow Cochise County to make necessary changes.

“None of us want to put farmers out of business, I don’t," Spencer said. "But the bottom line is, they’re all going out of business anyway, if we don’t do something.”