Arizona Water Law Flashcards
7 cards from real Arizona Real Estate License practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 7 Arizona Water Law flashcards as text
Under Arizona law, surface water rights are governed by which doctrine?
Answer: Prior appropriation
Arizona surface water follows the prior appropriation doctrine, meaning 'first in time, first in right.'
The phrase 'first in time, first in right' means that:
Answer: The senior appropriator has priority in times of shortage
Senior water rights holders are served first during shortages under prior appropriation.
Which Arizona agency administers surface water and groundwater regulation?
Answer: Arizona Department of Water Resources (ADWR)
The Arizona Department of Water Resources oversees the state's water resources and rights.
The 1980 Arizona law that regulates groundwater in critical areas is the:
Answer: Groundwater Management Act
The 1980 Groundwater Management Act created regulatory controls over groundwater use.
Groundwater in Arizona is primarily governed by which legal doctrine?
Answer: Reasonable use doctrine
Arizona applies the reasonable use doctrine to percolating groundwater outside active management areas.
An Active Management Area (AMA) is designed to:
Answer: Reduce groundwater depletion and reach safe yield
AMAs are established to curb overdraft and achieve a balance of withdrawal and recharge.
Before subdividing land in an AMA, a developer must generally demonstrate:
Answer: A 100-year assured water supply
The Assured Water Supply program requires proof of a 100-year water supply for new subdivisions in AMAs.