Town officials and business leaders in Chino Valley are appreciative of an intergovernmental agreement that allows the Town of Chino Valley to have access to City of Prescott water service for commercial uses.
“This agreement gives our community a great opportunity for growth and advancement. It helps solve what previously has been a longtime impediment for expansion,” said Chino Valley Town Manager Cecilia Grittman.
Grittman has pointed out that some of Prescott’s water lines run directly through Chino Valley’s commercial corridor – parallel to Highway 89 – and that running dual lines was perhaps not the best use of taxpayer money. “We appreciate the City of Prescott partnering with the town to allow us to grow in a responsible fashion.”
“This is an important step forward in regional cooperation,” said Prescott Mayor Greg Mengarelli. “We are hopeful this is the first step in a long partnership to utilize water wisely for the benefit of our communities and the Active Management Area as a whole.”
Active Management Areas (AMA) have been defined by the State of Arizona and were codified in 1980. Five AMAs have been identified: Prescott, Phoenix, Pinal, Tucson and Santa Cruz. The purpose of an AMA is to aggressively manage the state’s finite groundwater resources to support a growing economy, according to the Arizona Department of Water Resources (ADWR).
In Prescott (and Phoenix and Tucson), a prime water management goal is to reach what is called “safe yield” by the year 2025. Safe yield is accomplished when no more groundwater is being withdrawn than is being replaced annually. ADWR has a series of five management plans that define rigorous management requirements for agricultural, municipal and industrial water uses.
Clyde Halstead, a member of the City of Prescott’s legal department, said the IGA will permit cooperation between the two municipalities by allowing businesses in Chino Valley to use Prescott water, a vital service the town needs. Halstead emphasized that any properties connecting to City of Prescott water will have to follow the same conservation measures as would those in Prescott.
Ongoing Water Usage Discussions
Prescott City Councilman Steve Blair is heading a new committee to investigate the matter of septic systems operating within city limits. Blair, who has lived in Prescott 57 years, has been a member of the City Water Subcommittee for more than two decades. He supports expanding both water and wastewater service provisions outside the city limits.
Blair believes that unregulated and/or failing septic systems contaminate the aquifer and reduce water quality. In contrast, the City’s Wastewater Treatment Plant system produces reclaimed water rated A+ by the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality.
Blair has said that by linking Water Service Agreements to the city’s higher standards, Prescott can control and conserve water in ways that have not been possible in the past.
Halstead says properties connecting to city water service will need to follow the city’s conservation measures, reportedly among the most advanced in Arizona, which include incorporating low-water-use landscaping and fixtures.
Often cited during discussions about water use in Prescott are the scientific studies prepared by Gary Woodard, a Tucson-based water policy and economics authority. At the Prescott City Council meeting on Jan. 28, Woodard, also an attorney, presented a follow-up study about water use in Prescott. His study indicated that because of better waste management treatment and rigorous conservation practices, less water is being used in Prescott now than had been used 14 years previously, despite the population increase. Woodard was adamant that converting septic systems to go into a centralized wastewater treatment facility would assure the community of even more potable water.
Mengarelli said approval of the water agreement by the city would give Chino Valley control over its destiny with regard to commercial development. QCBN
By Ray Newton, QCBN
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