Yes.
In July 2025, Arizona water officials approved a transportation order allowing Buckeye and Queen Creek to pump groundwater from the Harquahala Basin for 110 years.
The Arizona basin spans La Paz and Maricopa counties, and is part of an Irrigation Non-Expansion Area, a designation meant to protect existing farms by preventing new irrigated land. The deal marks the first time cities have been allowed to tap groundwater from one of these restricted areas to support development elsewhere.
Rapid population growth across Arizona has increased demand for affordable housing, intensifying pressure on already limited water supplies. To build new homes, developers must prove their projects have access to a reliable 100-year water supply. But recent studies show groundwater across much of Arizona is rapidly declining.
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The Arizona Center for Investigative Reporting partners with Gigafact to produce fact briefs, or quick-response fact checks, about trending claims relating to Arizona.
Sources
- State of Arizona Approves New Water Supply, First-Ever Groundwater Transportation Order from Harquahala Basin, Office of the Governor Katie Hobbs
- Statement on the Determination of Transportation of Groundwater from Harquahala Basin, Arizona Department of Water Resources
- Harquahala INA, Arizona Department of Water Resources
- Irrigation Non-Expansion Area FAQs, Arizona Department of Water Resources
- Assured and Adequate Water Supply Programs, Arizona Department of Water Resources
- Arizona’s Declining Groundwater, NASA
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The Arizona Center for Investigative Reporting is partnering with Gigafact to produce timely fact briefs, or quick-response fact checks, about trending claims relating to Arizona.
