To the editor,

The water issues we keep hearing about are related to Colorado River water that is in decline. But all water supplies and sources need to be considered. Our groundwater aquifers are stable but will need continued active management to keep them stable. Agriculture per acre uses far more water than houses on the same acreage. Much of the Colorado River water coming into Arizona is for agriculture. So, as Colorado River water declines, agriculture has two choices: Sell off the land for housing development that uses less water (but that action causes the developments to use aquifer groundwater) or farmers can drill wells and pump aquifer water to make up the cuts resulting from Colorado River water cutbacks.

Either way, more demand is put on the aquifer. The aquifer is healthy and well-managed and will be adequate for many, many decades. This, however, does not mean we should believe that active aquifer groundwater management and stewardship is not needed, it absolutely is!

Understanding the whole water supply situation is important. It also needs to be understood that the organic makeup and quality of our Maricopa-Stanfield sub-basin aquifer water is not the best, and it takes considerable, expensive treatment, but it will likely never taste very good regardless.

Maricopa will continue to see growth into the future simply because our water supply is stable and farmers are bailing out and selling to developers. These transactions are private property rights protected by the Arizona Constitution. Government’s responsibility is to make sure that ensuing development is compliant with zoning and all building codes. In Maricopa, it actually is this growth that is helping this young city pay for all the amenities and infrastructure we need and demand via developer impact fees that have paid for several major intersection redesigns, median beautification, traffic lights at many dangerous intersections, many additional travel lanes added, new sports complexes, the building of the library, police and fire headquarters, new full-service ambulance service on the way and the development of a major transportation corridor plan. All of this while lowering Maricopa’s primary and secondary property tax rates, lowering the costs of growth to taxpayers.

It’s very easy for all of us to complain about a whole slew of surface observations. But when we take the time to engage, research and ask questions, we quickly see the good light and understand the process. For the New Year, let’s try to find things to brag and be proud about in Maricopa while engaging to find solutions to a whole slew of possibilities and opportunities. This city is 22 years old. A third of our city incorporated life was taken away by the Great Recession and the recovery from it. The city seriously had little funding to operate on and only began developing adequate funding streams to start meeting growth and infrastructure demands in the last 10 years! The actual city government accomplishments in the last 10 years are incredible if we dissect it and look!

Have a great 2026, Maricopa!

Keep doing good things and do all things good! Navigate the journey to produce good outcomes; after all, it’s the outcomes we are judged on, not the journey.

Bill Robertson, Province