What is Needed to Prevent a Long-Term Water Shortage
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The threat of a long-term water shortage for our region comes from the large and growing overdraft of our aquifer. [Ed's chart] New approaches are needed to both reduce the current overdraft as well as ensure that water use in new developments will not be greater than the volume of water that can be recharged.
The main approach for reducing the current overdraft is to really ramp up conservation efforts. It will be possible to reduce water use by as much as a third (?) with the replacement of all inefficient toilets, the reduction of large amounts of turf, the use of rainwater harvesting, and the acceptance(?) of a wide range of other available measures.
The second approach for reducing the current overdraft is to capture and recharge stormwater in municipal areas. Initial estimates show that Prescott and Prescott Valley could reduce the overdraft by as much as 10% - 15% (?) with major investments in stormwater handling.
The most important thing we can do to protect the aquifer from further harm is to require new developments to follow the “net zero” approach. Only with this approach can developments require no net new groundwater. The “offset” approach may be appropriate with developers financially supporting designated conservation measures as the source of water for their development.