We’re not going to make it (to safe yield). Attaining a balance between groundwater withdrawal and replenishment, known as "safe yield," in the Prescott Active Management Area by 2025 has been a goal of the Arizona Groundwater Management Act since the perils of groundwater overuse were officially recognized in 1980. But achieving the 2025 target date is, by all scientific accounts, impossible. Kathleen Ferris, a consultant with the Kyl Center for Water Policy at Arizona State University, explained how loopholes in Arizona water law endanger the region’s aquifer and also undermine the very notion of safe yield.
Discussion points included the ambiguities in safe yield legislation, Arizona water laws that allow groundwater to be pumped at an unsustainable rate, insufficient conservation efforts that haven’t offset increasing water demands, and the "aridification" of the region that is further impacting the area’s water supply. Ferris also explained specific challenges in the Quad-City area, such as the region’s lack of access to water supplies other than groundwater. Attaining safe yield is a responsibility of the region, not the Arizona Department of Water Resources. As of now, there are no regional plans to address safe yield, and no penalties for not achieving it.
In her program, Kathy recommended the Arizona Water Blueprint including a Groundwater Level App. For help in using the app, see the Getting Started link on the webpage.
Ferris, who is also a Senior Research Fellow at the Morrison Institute for Public Policy at Arizona State University, is co-author with Kyl Center Director Sarah Porter of a May 2021 report entitled "The Myth of Safe Yield: Pursuing the Goal of Safe Yield Isn’t Saving our Groundwater."
In 1977, at the age of 28, Kathy was appointed Executive Director of the Arizona Groundwater Management Study Commission. Her work with the Commission and Governor Bruce Babbitt culminated in the passage of the 1980 Arizona Groundwater Management Act, one of the nation's most visionary laws for managing groundwater.
For over four decades Kathy has championed wise water management in the desert. She has served as Director of the Arizona Department of Water Resources and as Executive Director of the Arizona Municipal Water Users Association. Currently a lawyer in private practice, she is a Senior Research Fellow at the Morrison Institute for Public Policy at Arizona State University, where she consults with the Kyl Center for Water Policy. In 2015, along with Michael Schiffer, she produced the documentary Groundwater - to enact a law for the common good.
CWAG is a local citizens group advocating for a secure water future for Prescott and central Yavapai County and for the protection of the upper Verde River. For more information, visit CWAG's Facebook page, or email