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Yavapai Group, Grand Canyon Chapter, Sierra Club
Newsletter October '08
Prescott Seeks Authorization to Pump the Big Chino Aquifer
By Gary Beverly
Prescott's plan to seek additional water from the Big Chino Valley Aquifer
has been simmering for over 8 years. This month, it came to a full boil.
Early in September, Prescott submitted their Application for Modification of
Assured Water Supply to the Arizona Department of Water Resources (ADWR).
Objections to the application could be filed by residents, due by September
12. Prescott had until September 30 (now extended two weeks) to respond to
these objections. Next, ADWR may hold hearings, then Director Guenther will
decide how much water Prescott can transfer: an amount between zero and
14000 acre-feet per year.
The fate of the Verde River hangs in the balance.
Here's a quick summary of a very complex issue:
The Upper Verde River (approx 24 miles between Sullivan Dam and
Perkinsville) is one of the 10 most endangered rivers in the US. The
Verde's critical riparian habitat supports a half dozen threatened species
and hundreds of other plant and animal species. It is the last free flowing
perennial river in Arizona, and one of the few in the Southwest. The Upper
Verde has enormous ecological importance.
The base flow of the Upper Verde River (UVR) is from Verde Springs, about 2
miles downriver from Sullivan Dam. Hydrologists agree that 80-86% of the
spring flow is directly from the Big Chino Aquifer. If Verde Springs dry
up, the Upper Verde River would turn into a dry wash, obliterating the
riparian environment. No parties to this dispute want that to occur.
Prescott maintains that their water withdrawal is so far up the Big Chino
that pumping won't effect the spring flow. Conservationists emphatically
disagree, and we have a lot of science to back up our opinion.
Prescott talks about a "clay plug" in the Big Chino that separates their
water ranch from Verde Springs; hydrologists agree that this is false. A
playa formation exists, but likely allows water around, over, or under to
the Springs. History proves that pumping from Prescott's water ranch will
diminish the springs: as agricultural pumping has decreased since the 60's,
spring flow has increased - therefore the Big Chino is connected to the
springs. Currently the losses from the aquifer (pumping and Verde Springs)
are balanced by natural recharge. Scientific hydrology at its most
elementary level tells us this: if Prescott pumps the Big Chino, that
balance is destroyed, the water level in the aquifer will drop, and the
springs will dry up. ADWR Director Herb Guenther has said that if Prescott
pumps, it isn't a matter of IF the springs will be diminished, but WHEN.
Prescott could prevent lawsuits simply by negotiating a realistic
mitigation plan for their project. A mitigation plan specifies that if
water levels in monitoring wells drop to a specified level that threatens
the springs, specified actions will be taken to prevent diminishing the
spring flow. These actions might include stopping the pumping, importing
water from yet another location to recharge the aquifer, etc. Prescott
refuses to implement realistic mitigation planning, arguing that it is
unnecessary: their pumping won't harm the river because they have moved the
pumping location 17 miles up the Big Chino. Conservationists argue that
early detection of impending harm is essential: if it takes 10 years of
pumping to diminish the springs, it will take a similarly long time for the
aquifer to recover, and by then the Verde is damaged.
The US Fish & Wildlife Service, AZ Game & Fish, Sierra Club, Center for
Biological Diversity, Salt River Project, Phoenix, Tempe, Camp Verde, the
Yavapai-Apache tribe, and many citizens have voiced opposition to Prescott's
pumping/pipeline project. It seems certain that this issue will go to the
Courts, eventually to the US Supreme Court.
The objections filed this month hint at what the litigation will cover:
- Objectors claim that the legislation authorizing Prescott to transfer
water from the Big Chino is unconstitutional because it benefits one named
party (Prescott). If the courts agree, game over.
- If the statute is found constitutional, objectors claim that Prescott
Valley, a major partner in the $300,000,000 pipeline, cannot participate in
the water because neither PV nor Prescott AMA is named for legal water
transfer.
- Prescott is applying for the maximum 14,000 af/yr, but objectors
contend that only 4,000 af/yr is allowed (many pages of legalese and
calculations here...)
- Objectors claim that the Big Chino does not qualify for a 100 yr water
supply because other landowners there, including some large developers, may
harvest as much as 50,000 af/yr for their legal use, thus quickly over
drafting the aquifer and making the water supply uncertain. The Big Chino
water is not reserved for Prescott's exclusive use. ADWR Director Herb
Guenther has publicly commented that the Big Chino is only a short term
solution, urging Prescott to begin seeking other water resources.
- Objectors claim that the Big Chino does not qualify for a 100 yr
water supply because climate changes in this area caused by global warming
point to substantial drying and warming, thus decreasing the amount of water
available.
- Objectors claim that water withdrawals from the Big Chino will harm
threatened and endangered species in the river, in violation of the
Endangered Species Act. In 2004, The Center for Biological Diversity
notified Prescott that they will sue to protect the species and their
habitat.
- SRP claims that the water is theirs, and if Prescott diminishes the
flow they will sue.
- Other national conservation groups are watching and waiting; there
will likely be additional lawsuits that have not been publicly announced.
- Objectors noted that Prescott doesn't have financing for the $300
million project. They are now attempting to find investors in a truly
miserable economy with extremely tight credit and very wary investors. The
certainty of protracted legal action challenging the project will only
increase the reluctance of investors. Additionally, the entire project may
become uneconomic if other towns cannot access the water (and help finance
the pipeline) and/or if the water quantity authorized for transfer is low.
What is the pipeline for? Prescott claims that the imported water is to
move the Prescott AMA, the Little Chino Aquifer, into safe yield. However,
Prescott has not allocated water to safe yield. On the other hand,
Prescott Valley recently signed and agreement with the State Lands
Department to supply 2000 af/yr, one half of their share of the pipeline
water, to hundreds of acres of state land neighboring the town. That water
would allow the land to be developed. Judged by their actions, Prescott
Valley views the water as a resource to be devoted to growth.
Prescott's pipeline is an expensive, controversial, and risky project facing
many legal obstacles. Prescott has invested over $35 million of taxpayer
money to this point. It effects the Verde River, a priceless ecosystem in
the Southwest, plus four towns and their future growth, and much of
unincorporated Yavapai County. Citizens and taxpayers should inform
themselves on this critical issue and then voice their concerns and opinions
to officials.
To learn more:
- Hike the river with us!
- Contact Citizen's Water Advocacy Group (CWAG) at
http://www.cwagaz.org/aboutus.html#member
- Read the newspapers: The pumping/pipeline project has had piecemeal
coverage from local daily newspapers. A local independent news magazine,
Read It Here (now defunct) published an excellent series of articles on the
pipeline plan written by Candace McNulty. These stories are still available
online here:
http://www.readitnews.com/component/option,com_comprofiler/task,userProfile/
user,65/
- Read excellent article in High Country News: http://www.hcn.org/issues/346/17001
- Support the Sierra Club (http://arizona.sierraclub.org) and the local
Yavapai Group. The current and past issues of the Canyon Echo can be
downloaded at http://arizona.sierraclub.org/echo/index.asp.
- Support The Center for Biological Diversity (www.savetheverde.org)
This page was last updated on May 26, 2009