A monthly members-only column by Alan Dulaney
In medieval Europe, in response to the Black Death, destructive religious wars, and famine, there arose an allegorical concept called “l’Danse Macabre.” It took many forms, but in at least a few depictions, the dead of all ranks and classes danced through the night, returning to their graves at dawn. The dance was a reminder that nothing lasts forever, certainly not status.
When I first began working at the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality (ADEQ) in 1990, the major concern was cleaning up aquifers contaminated by releases of carcinogenic compounds. In order to prevent future releases, regulatory efforts such as the Aquifer Protection Permit program were set up. There was funding available for site investigations and remedial actions, from sources such as owner-operators of sites, their insurance carriers, Federal grants, and the Arizona Legislature (although the Legislature usually promised substantial support only to jerk back the budgeted money at the last minute). Hydrologists provided technical oversight. Progress was made; plumes were defined and corrective actions initiated. ADEQ made a difference, but money was essential.
When I moved over to the Arizona Department of Water Resources (ADWR) in 1998, a different mindset prevailed. Lawyers ruled ADWR, not hydrologists. ADWR was far more bureaucratic an organization than was ADEQ, and far less well-funded. The focus was on annual reports from water users, issuance of drilling and withdrawal permits, disposition of water rights, and other programs where paper was the product. You need such programs to actively manage the resource. This was inherent in the 1980 Groundwater Management Act (GWMA), the state statute which created ADWR and the law which remains the gold standard of water management to this day. No other state comes close in regulating water resources, not even California.
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