Prescott AZ (September 27, 2019) – How much is the quantity of water in our aquifer decreasing, how does the decline impact our water future, and what steps can Prescott and its neighbors take to reduce the increasing rate of depletion?
These critical questions will be explored at a presentation by the Citizens Water Advocacy Group (CWAG) on Saturday, October 12, from 10 a.m.-noon at the Granite Peak Unitarian Universalist Congregation building, 882 Sunset Ave. in Prescott.
Virtually all of the water for domestic and industrial use in the Prescott region is pumped from the local groundwater basin within the Prescott Active Management Area (PrAMA). Ed Wolfe, retired geologist and CWAG board member, will talk about the unanticipated and accelerating rate of groundwater decline and the unlikelihood of reaching safe yield by the established target date of 2025. Safe yield is the long-term balance between the amount of groundwater withdrawn from the aquifer and the amount returned through precipitation, runoff, and reclaimed effluent.
Wolfe will also address the imperative of working with Chino Valley, Dewey-Humboldt, Prescott Valley and unincorporated areas of Yavapai County — all within the PrAMA — to develop strategies that will assure our future water supply. These include the establishment of water conservation policies across the PrAMA and the development of a long-range water sustainability plan such as those in place in Flagstaff, Arizona, and Albuquerque, New Mexico.
Wolfe, Ph.D and founding member of CWAG, worked for the U.S. Geological Survey before retiring. CWAG is a local citizens group advocating for a sustainable water future for Prescott and central Yavapai County and for the protection of the upper Verde River. For more information, visit www.cwagaz.org, call 445-4218, or email info@cwagaz.org.