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You are here: Home / Archives for Prescott Active Management Area

Prescott Active Management Area

Protecting Our Groundwater and Rivers

August 28, 2022 By quadcities Leave a Comment

We encourage you to vote for those candidates who understand water issues and promise to work for solutions that help our area.

Our state legislators continue to fail to protect our water in our aquifers and rivers.

In the Prescott Active Management Area, which includes Dewey-Humbolt, Prescott Valley, Prescott, and Chino Valley, groundwater pumping exceeds natural and artificial replenishment  by over 18,000 acre-feet per year (afy) — that is a football field three=-and-a-half miles deep, disappearing from the aquifer every year, depleting our groundwater reserves.

The overdraft relentlessly continues to grow, decimating Del Rio Springs, and drying wells in Williamson Valley, Chino Valley and Coyote Springs. In the last 70 years, the flow from Del Rio Springs, the historical headwaters of the Verde River, has declined 90%. A partial, preliminary survey has identified more than 500 failing wells south and west of Chino Valley, along Williamson Valley Road, and in Coyote Springs. Occasionally, a failing well can be replaced by drilling a new well at great cost, but this is a long-shot gamble, so most afflicted homeowners install a holding tank and have water hauled to them. Their home value is reduced up to 50%.

The latest guidance from the Arizona Department of Water Resources not only fails to address the overdraft, but has already approved more than 10,000 new homes for new water service. And existing state law authorizes water for an additional 100,000 homes! Every new home consumes groundwater and worsens the problem.

Pumping in the Big Chino threatens Paulden domestic wells and the upper Verde River. The river begins perennial flow near Paulden where groundwater from the Big Chino emerges at Verde Springs, the only water source for the upper 25 river miles, which contains the finest riparian habitat in AZ. River flows have been steadily declining since 1996. In late June, we measured all-time record low flows at Perkinsville Bridge. We are witnessing the slow decline of the last surviving perennial river in Arizona.

Arizona water law authorizes groundwater pumping for the Big Chino Water Ranch pipeline, a project intended to support new homes, to dry up the river. It is totally legal for big agriculture to move into the Big Chino, irrigate without limit, and dry up the river. Additional residential growth in the Big Chino also can dry the river.

Meanwhile, our local representatives to the state legislature ignore our local problems – fiddling while our water disappears – and fail to provide solutions. In the last session, legislators from other rural areas introduced several helpful bills addressing rural water needs. Unfortunately, one state representative beholden to agricultural interests prevented any of these bills from being considered on the floor of the legislature. We need forceful action from our state legislators, and that has not happened.

It is true that the legislature recently enacted new state water legislation, spurred by the Colorado River water supply crisis. We do not receive any water – zero – from the Colorado River. The new law ignores the water problems in Northern Arizona. Instead, it authorizes expensive and unrealistic augmentation projects such as multi-billion dollar desalinization plants or importing water from the Missouri River. Prior Arizona water law continues to support drying the Verde River and draining our aquifers in the name of promoting growth.

If we want to have a sustainable water supply and a flowing river, local citizens and government need to step up with solutions. Solutions do exist. For example, a regional water conservation incentive program could reduce water use by rural wells and private water systems and improve existing weak conservation programs in Prescott Valley and Chino Valley. Also, a regional stormwater recovery and recharge program will reduce the overdraft.

First, we need regional cooperation to protect a shared water resource. There has been no regional water planning since the Yavapai County Supervisors discontinued the Water Advisory Committee in 2014. Local governments must begin to meet regularly and plan solutions to protect our groundwater and the Verde River.

Most importantly, it is essential for citizens to learn where candidates for the state house and senate stand on the critical issues facing our regional water supply and the Verde River. We encourage you to vote for those candidates who understand water issues and promise to work for solutions that help our area. QCBN

By Gary Beverly, Ph.D.

Gary Beverly is a retired scientist and business owner working to protect the Verde River.

Filed Under: Columnists Tagged With: Arizona Department of Water Resources, Big Chino Water Ranch pipeline, Chino Valley, Gary Beverly, Prescott Active Management Area, Prescott Valley, Verde River

Focusing on Water, Aviation Education

May 30, 2022 By quadcities Leave a Comment

Working in conjunction with the Water Advisory Subcommittee and Prescott City Council, this new commission will continue the work begun by council when the new water management policy was passed.

I would like to share some important updates with you from the City of Prescott regarding the new water policy, and the SAFE project at Prescott Regional Airport.

Implementing a New Water Policy

Prescott City Council has adopted a new Water Management Policy. This document was several months in the making, and encompassed a number of public meetings and hundreds of public comments. This new policy can be found on the city’s website at www.prescott-az.gov, click on 2022 Water Policy.

Now that a new water policy has been approved by the City Council, the work is continuing to ensure that the policy is implemented appropriately. For that reason, I am establishing a Water Policy Review and Monitoring Commission, as an ad-hoc mayor’s commission.

The purpose of the water policy review and monitoring commission shall be to track the effectiveness of the newly adopted 2022 Water Management Policy. The commission will make recommendations to the council regarding how additional stakeholders (Yavapai County and other municipalities) could adopt or expand the city policy into their jurisdictions and make quarterly presentations to the council regarding their findings for potential revisions to the policy, conservation policy and rebates. The commission will also determine how the water policy is impacting the larger Prescott Active Management Area (AMA).

The seven-member commission will be chaired by former City Councilmember Jim Lamerson. Bob Rucker will serve as the vice chair. The commission will meet on the third Tuesday of each month. As an official commission of the city, they will be subject to the open meeting laws. All meetings will be posted and open to the public.

Working in conjunction with the Water Advisory Subcommittee and Prescott City Council, this new commission will continue the work begun by council when the new water management policy was passed.

Forming an Aviation Education Partnership: The SAFE Project

In May, I participated in a meeting with Senator Kirsten Sinema. She spoke about infrastructure projects and programs. We discussed some of the new projects proposed for the airport, including an exciting new collaboration with Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University.

The Strategic Aviation Flight Education (SAFE) is a collaborative effort between the City of Prescott’s Regional Airport, Ernest A. Love Field (KPRC) and Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University (ERAU).

Through this partnership, KPRC is dedicated to developing, through its master planning processes, the infrastructure and land allocation to encourage ERAU and other aviation related educational partners the opportunity to operate in a dedicated area. The SAFE Complex allows multiple educational entities to have safe and efficient access to the airport environment. In addition, located on the north side of the main runway environment, it provides the opportunity to directly link educational activities with the aerospace and industrial businesses in the area for workforce development, research collaboration and economic development.

ERAU is proposed to be the flagship educational provider in the SAFE Complex. The first immediate move (Phase 1) is planned for 2024 with follow-on developments planned in line with their strategic vision. Phase 1 provides the capability to operate additional fixed-wing flight training from the SAFE. This 500,000-square-feet Phase 1 provides parking ramp, hangars and educational space for ERAU’s top-ranked flight program’s planned growth through 2024.

ERAU and KPRC recognize “Aviation Education” covers a broad spectrum (airplane, helicopters, unmanned systems, air traffic control, meteorology, repair and maintenance) that support the integrated “Aerospace” requirements for American society. As society advances in artificial intelligence, machine learning, automation saturation and experiences increasing demands for all forms of aerospace operations and sustainment, the SAFE Complex will keep Prescott’s educational providers at the forefront of these developments and sustain Prescott’s and ERAU’s leadership role. QCBN

By Phil Goode

Phil Goode is the mayor of Prescott.

Filed Under: Columnists Tagged With: Jim Lamerson, Phil Goode, Prescott Active Management Area, Prescott water conservation, Prescott Water Policy

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