Verde River Basin Partnership Sponsors Presentation
Cottonwood AZ (June 30, 2015) – On Wednesday, July 15, at 10:30 a.m., there will be a public presentation to provide an overview of the process and the progress of current adjudication regarding Verde River navigability. This process will determine if the state’s Navigable Stream Adjudication Commission will identify the Verde River as a navigable watercourse. This presentation is free and will be at the Cottonwood Recreation Center in Cottonwood, 150 South 6th Street, in the Cottonwood Room.
The Arizona Navigable Stream Adjudication Commission (ANSAC) was established in 1992 to determine whether any rivers in Arizona were navigable in their ordinary and natural conditions at the time of statehood (February 14, 1912). If a river was navigable at statehood, title to the land beneath the river is held by the State Land Department to be used for the public trust values. The ANSAC has not yet voted on the navigability of the Gila, Verde, and Salt Rivers, although hearings have concluded for the Gila and Verde Rivers.
Presenter Edwin (Eddie) Slade is an Assistant Attorney General in the Natural Resources Section of the Arizona Attorney General’s Office. He represents the Arizona State Land Department and Arizona State Parks in their legal matters. Before joining the Attorney General’s Office, he spent time at the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality. Originally from Pennsylvania, Mr. Slade attended the University of Arizona for law school, after three years as a high school Chemistry teacher in Richmond, CA. Since “getting on board” with the navigability cases, he has thoroughly enjoyed discovering and boating the Verde River.
Mr. Slade’s presentation is titled, “So, What Floats Your Boat? An Overview of the Navigability Adjudication of the Verde River.” This program is part of the Verde River Basin Partnership’s (Partnership) ongoing monthly educational program series for the public.
The Partnership is a scientific and educational resource raising awareness among citizens and community leaders about the Verde River Basin’s interconnected groundwater and surface water systems, and the life they support. To find out more about their monthly programs and to browse educational materials relating to shared-water resources, please visit www.vrbp.org.