Senator Ruben Gallego (D-AZ) is cosponsoring a bipartisan bill that improves homeowners' ability to conserve water, a vital measure as Arizona continues to heat up this summer.
Specifically, the Water Conservation Rebate Tax Parity Act provides tax cuts to homeowners who invest in water-saving and flood-prevention improvements to their homes by rendering the rebates and subsidies untaxable, including those offered by public utilities and stormwater management companies.
Moreover, the tax exemption will apply retroactively to all amounts received on or after December 31, 2021, allowing those who have recently invested in graywater capture systems, purchased specific appliances, and upgraded their plumbing to not miss out on the exemption.
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Many states and localities are implementing these programs, helping communities conserve water, reduce runoff, and alleviate the burdens on public utility providers.
"Arizona families should be rewarded – not punished – for working to conserve water," said Sen. Gallego in his press release, adding, "I'm proud to support this bill to protect our water supply and keep money in the pockets of hardworking Arizonans."
In May, Sen. Gallego introduced the bipartisan Water Cybersecurity Enhancement Act, which amends part of the Drinking Water Infrastructure Risk and Resilience Program, which is itself part of the Safe Drinking Water Act, by awarding grants to fund guidance and training for state and local actors on protecting the cybersecurity of their water infrastructure.
At the end of the month, Governor Katie Hobbs (D-AZ) vetoed a local groundwater bill, Senate Bill 1300, which would have let residents of the San Simon Valley area vote to establish an irrigation non-expansion area (INA) in the groundwater basin there in the November 2026 Elections.
The veto earned the ire of State Representative Gail Griffin (R-19), who said, "Whether voted up or down, either outcome would have resulted in at least a six-month pause on new agricultural expansion."
"That alone would have provided a net benefit to the aquifer. But the Governor vetoed it, missing an opportunity to provide easy, commonsense groundwater savings without much political effort," State Rep. Griffin added.
