The new law sidesteps 100-year water requirement to allow 400,000 acres of farmland conversion without meaningful sustainability guarantees
Op-ed by Channel Powe, former elected school board member, policy advocacy, and coalition builder
Commentary first published in the AZ Mirror
July 11, 2025
As Arizonans, we understand all too well that water is scarce and our housing crisis is real. I’m saddened to say, Senate Bill 1611, known as the Ag-to-Urban bill, is not the solution.
More than 400,000 acres of farmland could be eligible for conversion under the program — meaning up to a million homes could be built, along with the infrastructure to support those homes that will cut dramatically into our water supply. The latter water use has not been accounted for in this development deal.
The 1980 Groundwater Management Act wisely required developers to prove a 100-year water supply before building. This new legislation sidesteps the intent of this landmark law, allowing development without meaningful guarantees of long-term sustainability.
If we’re talking about building one million homes, we’re also talking about expanding roads, schools, hospitals, and everything else a thriving community needs — all of which will demand more water. Yet, this bill offers no plan to ensure that the water exists to support it.
This legislation, which earned bipartisan support and approval from Gov. Katie Hobbs, is disastrous for both rural and tribal communities, and dangerously shortsighted. Instead of addressing the root causes of our housing shortage, it gives private developers too much latitude with a fast-track advantage.
All the while, it sidelines local elected officials, water experts, and environmental advocates. The lack of community engagement is deeply troubling. Rather than working with stakeholders to develop inclusive, forward-looking solutions, this bill shuts them out. It silences rural and tribal voices — communities that will bear the brunt of unchecked development and groundwater depletion.
This isn’t a housing plan. It’s a profit scheme for private developers, masquerading as a solution to Arizona’s housing crisis.
Decisions about our water, our lands and our environment are precious resources that are too important not to have input from the community and local government.
Our water has long been our most precious, and contested, resource. We are facing an unprecedented drought, with dwindling flows from the Colorado River and no meaningful investments in infrastructure or water replenishment systems. The state’s top water official, Tom Buschatzke, said that unless a deal is reached with other states, cuts in Colorado River water deliveries could lead to Arizonans having to change their lifestyles. Less fresh water means a greater need to pursue alternative water sources, like “toilet-to-tap,” where wastewater is processed and cleaned so it can be put back into the drinking water supply. But most of that treated sewage is now used to maintain wildlife habitats, which are critical for our ecosystem
SB1611 fails to confront our water crisis. It creates a façade of water conservation without accountability or new investments. Supporters claim that Ag-to-Urban conversions save water in theory, but there is no plan to replenish it.
This isn’t a housing plan. It’s a profit scheme for private developers, masquerading as a solution to Arizona’s housing crisis.
If our state continues down this path, the consequences will be long-lasting and irreversible. Vulnerable communities will be pushed aside, our water sources depleted, and our chance to build a sustainable, equitable future squandered.
Arizona needs renewable water strategies, meaningful infrastructure investment and housing solutions that serve all Arizonans — not just developers. SB1611 is a short-sighted, high-stakes gamble with Arizona’s future. We cannot afford the cost.