House panel approves drought plan with more money for Pinal farmers
The Colorado River is a major source of water for Arizona. The management of its supply involves numerous stakeholders and agencies. (Photo courtesy of Central Arizona Project)
Facing a Thursday deadline, state lawmakers took the first steps Tuesday evening to approving the details of a drought contingency plan to deal with the fact Arizona will lose some of the water it now gets from the Colorado River.
But the package unanimously approved by the House Committee on Natural Resources, Energy and Water that now goes to the full House provides even more money to Pinal County farmers to help keep agriculture alive than had been agreed to before.
The original plan called for giving the farmers $5 million in tax dollars to drill new wells and construct delivery systems to replace the river water they will no longer get.