Ariz. Admin. Code § 12-15-718

Current through Register Vol. 30, No. 50, December 13, 2024

Section R12-15-718 - Legal Availability

A. The Director shall determine that an applicant will have sufficient supplies of water that will be legally available for at least 100 years if the applicant submits all of the applicable information required by this Section.

B. If the applicant is an applicant for a certificate or a water report, the applicant shall submit the following, as applicable:

1. A Notice of Intent to Serve agreement between the owner of the land to be included in the subdivision and the proposed municipal provider, stating the proposed municipal provider's intent to serve the subdivision;

2. If the proposed municipal provider is a city or town, evidence indicating that the proposed subdivision is located within the incorporated limits of the city or town or evidence of the legal right of the city or town to serve water to the subdivision outside the city or town's incorporated limits; or

3. If the proposed municipal provider is a private water company, one of the following:

a. Evidence that the proposed municipal provider has a certificate of convenience and necessity approved by the Arizona Corporation Commission and the subdivision is located within the geographic area described in the certificate of convenience and necessity or any other area in which the Arizona Corporation Commission authorizes the private water company to serve water;

b. Evidence that the proposed municipal provider has an order preliminary issued by the Arizona Corporation Commission authorizing the municipal provider to provide water service and the proposed subdivision is located within the area described in the order preliminary; or

c. Evidence that the proposed municipal provider is not a public service corporation regulated by the Arizona Corporation Commission.

C. If the applicant is a private water company applying for a designation, the applicant shall submit evidence that the applicant has a certificate of convenience and necessity approved by the Arizona Corporation Commission, or has been issued an order preliminary by the Arizona Corporation Commission for a certificate of convenience and necessity, authorizing the applicant to serve the proposed use.

D. If a proposed source of water is groundwater to be withdrawn within an AMA, the applicant shall submit evidence that the applicant or the proposed municipal provider has one or more of the following:

1. A service area right;

2. An applicable non-irrigation grandfathered right to withdraw groundwater, in an amount sufficient to serve the proposed use; or

3. A pending notice of intent to establish a new service area and all of the following apply:

a. The notice of intent to establish a new service area identifies the proposed subdivision,

b. The applicant or the proposed municipal provider has obtained a permit for any wells used to establish the service area right,

c. The proposed municipal provider has obtained a water right or recovery well permit to establish the service area right, and

d. The water right is of sufficient volume and duration to meet the estimated water demand of the proposed subdivision until the anticipated date of issuance of a service area right.

E. If a proposed source of water is surface water other than CAP water or Colorado River water:

1. The applicant shall submit evidence that the applicant or the proposed municipal provider has a certificated surface water right, decreed water right, or a pre-1919 claim for the proposed source. If the applicant or the proposed municipal provider does not hold a surface water right or claim, but will receive water pursuant to a water right or claim that is appurtenant to the land that is the subject of the application, the applicant shall submit evidence of the water right or claim and evidence that the water right or claim may neither be legally withheld nor severed and transferred by the right holder or claimant.

2. If the certificated surface water right or decreed water right pre-dates the date of application by at least five years, or the applicant submits a pre-1919 claim, the applicant shall submit one of the following:

a. Evidence that the surface water supply has been used pursuant to the applicable water right or claim within the five years before the date of application;

b. Evidence that a court has determined that the right has not been abandoned; or

c. Evidence that the non-use would not have resulted in an abandonment of the right pursuant to A.R.S. § 45-189.

3. The Director shall determine that the volume of water that is legally available pursuant to a certificated surface water right, a decreed water right, or a pre-1919 claim is equal to the face value of the right or claim. If the right or claim is subsequently adjudicated, the Director shall determine the volume of water that is legally available based on the adjudicated amount of water.

F. Subject to subsections (M) and (N) of this Section, if a proposed source of water is CAP water, the applicant shall submit evidence that the applicant or the proposed municipal provider has entered into a subcontract with a multi-county water conservation district for the proposed volume of CAP water. The Director shall presume that a 50-year long-term, non-declining municipal and industrial subcontract is sufficient evidence of the legal availability of the volume of CAP water specified in the subcontract for 100 calendar years.

G. Subject to subsections (M) and (N) of this Section, if a proposed source of water is Colorado River water, the applicant shall submit evidence of one of the following:

1. The applicant or the proposed municipal provider has a contract with the United States Secretary of the Interior for the proposed supply; or

2. The applicant has obtained an allocation of Colorado River water from an entity to which all of the following apply:

a. The entity holds a contract for Colorado River water with the United States Secretary of the Interior;

b. The entity provides Colorado River water to the proposed municipal provider;

c. The entity has allocated a sufficient volume of the Colorado River water to the subdivision; and

d. The area that the entity may serve, described in the contract with the United States Secretary of the Interior, includes the subdivision.

H. If a proposed source of water is effluent, the applicant shall submit evidence that the applicant or the proposed municipal provider has the legal right to use the effluent.

I. If the applicant will obtain a proposed source of water through a written contract other than a water exchange agreement, a contract between a certificate applicant and the municipal provider proposed to serve the applicant, a contract with the United States Secretary of the Interior for Colorado River water, or a subcontract with a multi-county water conservation district, the applicant shall submit evidence that the person providing the water under the contract has a legal right to the water in accordance with the terms of this Section and that the terms of the contract will ensure that the proposed source of water will be delivered to the applicant or to the proposed subdivision. The Director shall determine the term of years for which the proposed source of water is legally available based on the term of years remaining in the contract. The Director shall determine the quantity of water legally available based on the volume established in the contract.

J. If the applicant will obtain a proposed source of water through a water exchange agreement, the applicant shall submit evidence that the water exchange agreement satisfies the requirements of A.R.S. Title 45, Chapter 4.

K. If the Director can determine the proposed source of water to be physically and continuously available only because of the use of storage facilities by the applicant or by the proposed municipal provider, the applicant shall submit evidence of the applicant's or the proposed municipal provider's legal right to store water in the storage facilities.

L. If the applicant proposes to use long-term storage credits, the applicant shall submit evidence that the applicant or the proposed municipal provider has the legal right to use the credits under A.R.S. Title 45, Chapter 3.1.

M. If a proposed supply of water is Colorado River water or CAP water leased from an Indian community, the applicant shall submit evidence that the water leased has a priority equal to or higher than CAP municipal and industrial water, evidence that the Indian community is expressly authorized by an Act of Congress to lease the water for use off Indian community lands, evidence of the lease, and evidence of one of the following:

1. The proposed water supply is available under the lease for at least 100 years from any time during the year in which the applicant submits the application.

2. The term of the lease has less than 100 years remaining in the year in which the applicant submits the application and a supplemental water supply, together with the leased water, provides a 100-year water supply. The applicant shall demonstrate that the supplemental water supply is physically, continuously, and legally available and, if such supplemental supply is groundwater, that use of the groundwater is consistent with the management goal of the AMA. If the supplemental supply is water recovered through the use of long-term storage credits, the applicant shall also submit the following, as applicable:

a. If the applicant is to use the long-term storage credits before the beginning of the lease term, evidence that the applicant or the proposed municipal provider has obtained a recovery well permit that allows the applicant or the proposed municipal provider to recover water pursuant to the long-term storage credits; or

b. If the long-term storage credits will be accrued in the future, evidence that the applicant or the proposed municipal provider will accrue the long-term storage credits within 20 years after the effective date of the designation, certificate, or water report by storing the water under an issued water storage permit at a permitted storage facility and that no more than 20 years of the applicant's supplemental water supply will be provided by the long-term storage credits.

N. If the Director previously determined that Colorado River water or CAP water leased from an Indian community was legally available to a designated provider for 100 years, the Director shall determine that the designated provider continues to have a legally available supply of water for 100 years for the annual amount of water available under the lease if:

1. The lease has at least 50 years remaining in its term or the lease has at least 40 years remaining in its term and the designated provider submits evidence to the Director of active and ongoing negotiations with the Indian community to renew or re-negotiate the lease; and

2. One of the following applies:

a. No more than 15% of the total water supplies that the designated provider establishes as physically, continuously, and legally available during any year are obtained through leases with Indian communities;

b. Groundwater will be physically, continuously, and legally available to the designated provider at the end of the lease term to substitute for the leased water for the remainder of the 100-year period, and the projected use of groundwater is consistent with the management goal of the AMA. For purposes of this subsection, the designated provider may demonstrate that the proposed use is consistent with the management goal by entering into a written agreement with the Director under which the designated provider agrees to replace through replenishment or underground storage any groundwater used at the end of the lease term if groundwater use is not consistent with the management goal. The written agreement shall provide that specific performance is the only remedy in the event of default;

c. A non-groundwater source of water will be physically, continuously, and legally available at the end of the lease term to substitute for the leased water for the remainder of the 100-year period; or

d. The designated provider's governing board or council submits a resolution requesting that the designated provider be allowed to increase its projected use of Indian lease water from 15%, as allowed by subsection (N)(2)(a) of this Section, to 20%, and the Director finds that all of the following apply:

i. No more than 20% of the total water supplies that the designated provider establishes as physically, continuously, and legally available during any year are obtained through leases with Indian communities;

ii. No more than 15% of the total water supplies that the designated provider establishes as physically, continuously, and legally available during any year are obtained through any single lease with an Indian community; and

iii. The designated provider does not meet the requirements of subsections (N)(2)(a), (b), or (c) of this Section.

Ariz. Admin. Code § R12-15-718

Adopted effective February 7, 1995 (Supp. 95-1). Section repealed; new Section made by final rulemaking at 12 A.A.R. 3475, effective September 12, 2006 (Supp. 06-3).