ABOUT
Background
People for the Playa Water Resources (“PPWR”), a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, partners with the community to help Arizona residents in the Willcox Groundwater Basin reestablish their domestic water self-sufficiency as groundwater supplies decline.
Located in southeastern Arizona with a population of 10,079, the Basin’s aquifer has been declared as one of the top three most threatened in the State by the Arizona Department of Water Resources (“ADWR”), which has resulted in a number of residents whose wells have gone dry. In addition, many of the residents living in the area are economically challenged with approximately 13 percent of them living below the federal poverty line, according to the latest American Community Survey.
Because of these twin concerns of poverty and reduced access to water for domestic use, PPWR was formed in April 2025 to work with the community to assist residents of the Basin with domestic water access and conservation, as well as by providing educational assistance.
Financial Assistance
PPWR focuses on financially assisting residents with accessing reliable domestic water through grants and general donations. Solutions include water hauling as a temporary source of fresh clean drinking water while the property owner works through the application and approval process to secure grant monies, replacing a well pump that is no longer producing, deepening an existing well or drilling a new one, or installing an active rainwater harvesting system.
Our website provides a list of known domestic water delivery companies with their contact information so residents can investigate them and arrange for water delivery.
The PPWR website also contains a link to the Arizona Department of Water Resources list of licensed well drillers.
In addition, the PPWR website contains information on rainwater harvesting and catchment systems, including a partial list of known companies that provide rainwater harvesting or catchment services and equipment local to the Willcox Groundwater Basin with their contact information.
Educational Assistance
In addition to financial assistance, PPWR is a go-to source for water-related articles and information affecting the Basin through its website. PPWR also organizes, often with partner organizations, a variety of interactive water-related educational events and workshops to raise the public’s awareness and empower them to take charge of their water future.
Conclusion
PPWR is committed to making reestablishing domestic water self-sufficiency a reality for residents of the Willcox Groundwater Basin.
Water is Life.