Arizona restricts farming to protect groundwater supply
The dry and empty landscape [around Kingman, AZ] has since morphed into something much more green that supports pistachio and almond orchards, as well as garlic and potato fields, in a climate similar to California’s Central Valley. The crops are fed by groundwater that also serves the city of Kingman. The Arizona Department of Water Resources has put a limit on the amount of land that can be watered, designating the Hualapai Valley as an irrigation non-expansion area. That means anyone who hasn’t farmed more than 2 acres there during the past five years can’t. It’s the first such designation in Arizona in four decades — highlighting struggles around the U.S. as water supplies dwindle and tensions grow between farmers and cities.