The Chino Valley Mayor's Safe Yield Committee will break out the five key areas of the proposed Water Conservation and/or Sustainability Ordinance the council recently tabled permanently at its April 20 meeting.
Mayor Jim Bunker asked Ron Grittman, town engineer and Public Works director, to work up a strategy on how the committee can attack each area and present it.
Committee member Travis Bard said the five key areas in the proposed ordinance are: rainwater harvesting, conservation of water, sewering and recharging water into the aquifer, Historic Irrigated Acreage water to be imported into Chino Valley, and the conversion of existing users into the town's sewer system.
He said the committee needs to deal with the five areas one at a time and better educate the residents about each one.
Councilman Carl Tenney, who sits on the committee, agreed saying, "We've got to lay out our objectives and then hand the ball off to another committee to fill in the ordinance."
Committee member Robert Justice said once the committee comes up with its objectives, committees could arrange to bring in experts in each area.
Bunker said the committee needs to decide how detailed it wants to make the new ordinance or ordinances.
One approach might be to say what must the town do to cut residents' water use by 15-20 percent, he said. The town might use rainwater harvesting and sewering to reach this goal.
Committee member Charlie Arnold, who is also Bright Star's director of operations, said the committee must decide how much conservation is necessary and if rainwater harvesting is going to be voluntary or mandatory.
Gary Beverly, a longtime resident of Chino Valley, said, "It's vital that you proceed with striving to reach safe yield because it protects my well."
Councilwoman Linda Hatch said, "I'm having a problem with rainwater harvesting. People may be more interested if there are grants available. I want experts in to talk on it."
Grittman said not a lot of grant financing for rainwater harvesting is available currently.
Town staff currently is looking at how to get rainwater back into the aquifer efficiently and how to measure how much is getting into it.
In other business:
• Bunker said the mayors in the quad communities are in initial discussions about creating a water district that encompasses the Prescott Active Management Area.
He stressed that it will take time to create such a district. Ultimately, it will take a vote of the people to make it a reality.
Beverly said the area would need special legislation to create a district and the authority it will have.
A water district is the only way to solve the area's water resources and protect the Verde River, he said.
Committee member Ab Jackson, who is also the Chino Valley Area Chamber of Commerce CEO, said he is concerned what representation the community have on the district board. Bunker didn't know if voters would elect the board or the communities would appoint a member to the board.
Arnold said Prescott and Prescott Valley look at exempt wells differently than Chino Valley does, so the town would need some assurance the district would protect them.
Reader Comments
Posted: Sunday, March 21, 2010
Article comment by:
Annie J
No water? No problem. Those of you already living here quit using water. We need your water so we can grow, grow, grow!
Posted: Friday, March 19, 2010
Article comment by:
Dayne Taylor
How many folks in Chino Valley are aware of the nearly 100 million of gallons of wqter used annually on the Talking Rock Golf Course less than 8 miles from Chino Valley.
Newknees
Posted: Friday, March 19, 2010
Article comment by:
Leslie Hoy
Tom Whitmer, Regional Water Resources Planning Manager for the Arizona Department of Water Resources (ADWR), will discuss water districts when he speaks to the Citizens Water Advocacy Group (CWAG) about water districts on Saturday, Apr. 10 from 10 a.m. to noon at the Granite Peak Unitarian Universalist Congregation, 882 Sunset in Prescott (two blocks behind True Value). This will be an opportunity to learn more about them and to ask questions and voice your concerns. We'll have the full press release for Whitmer's talk on the CWAG Web site http://www.cwagaz.org by March 26 (I hope).
Posted: Friday, March 19, 2010
Article comment by:
Gary Beverly
To Dilemma:
We all contribute to our water resource problem (including you), and every citizen in the watershed will need to do their part to solve it. My comment was intended to show that achieving Safe Yield will benefit the citizens of Chino Valley by protecting their domestic wells. Note that Prescott pumps municipal water from wells in Chino Valley, impacting our domestic wells more than anyone else.
There will be both benefits and costs to protecting our water resource. I am concerned that folks are looking for a solution without impacts on lifestyle or budgets that is a fantasy. Achieving Safe Yield will cost us all, but far far less that the miserable future that awaits if we do not act.
Think about the recent fate of Chino's water conservation ordinance, and consider at the historical reluctance of Prescott to reduce water wasting turf, and note Prescott Valley's resistance to significant water conservation programs, and note the total absence of water conservation programs in Yavapai County.
As far as my farming, it's pretty small scale these days. I moved here in 1974 to do small scale farming, among other reasons. The aquifer was designated an AMA in 1980 then declared in overdraft in 1999 - this after the large farmers moved to greener pastures and the population exploded. These days I use about 10% of my Grandfathered Irrigation Rights but I declined to sell these rights because that would only support more development. All my crops are on water efficient drip irrigation. So you see, I (and other farmers) have made expensive adjustments to be a responsible water user. You have no idea how much water I use, so you have no basis to comment on that.
By the way, what do you eat? Are you foraging for mesquite beans, cactus fruit, cholla buds, and spring greens? Food does not come from the grocery store.
It's silly to demonize farmers, or to accuse me of being a hypocrite. What have you, anonymous one, done to solve the problem?
Posted: Friday, March 19, 2010
Article comment by:
Extremely Happy
Wow we also are glad you do not live in Chino Valley.
Posted: Friday, March 19, 2010
Article comment by:
Chino Resident
Agreed. We're also very glad you don't live here. Sounds like you think we are the only ones with a water problem? Hardly - we all live on the same water supply. If you live in Prescott, why don't you stop using the water you pump from our city lands? If you live in PV, tell your city leaders to stop falsely blaming our "exempt wells" for the overdraft that is at least 80% caused by Prescott/PV.
Posted: Friday, March 19, 2010
Article comment by:
Tom Steele
A water district as an overlay over the quad cities and the big Chino Ranch area, Paulden and Del Reo Springs is a good idea if crafted properly. My fear is that the powerful forces of developers will direct the protections in the direction of protecting future growth in place of water security and private well protection. Wells are dropping now, so what will happen with Chino Valley and the Big Chino Pipeline pumping to support an additional 100,000 people? This would place a future demand of over 10,000 acre feet of "additional" water on our existing supplies every year!
If Mr. Beverly wants to protect his well and the Verde River, he must consider shutting down his "farm". Otherwise he is behaving like a hypocrite. Mr. Beverly pumps and uses many times the average amount of the aquifer's water when compared to the rest of the residents in Chino Valley. Ask him how much water he uses each year to grow his crops. Gary has a dilemma, he wants to have the Verde flow, but his farm's irrigation is depleting the very aquifer which is supplying a portion of the Upper Verde River's output. I fully support this man's prodigious effort to save the Upper Verde River, but if he is part of the problem.... Mr. Beverly, you can't have it both ways.
Posted: Friday, March 19, 2010
Article comment by:
Very Happy
Wow. I am sure glad I do not live in Chino Valley.
