BIG CHINO SUB-BASIN Files

Response to Pollack Report: Kendig

Most thoughtful people are concerned that the lack of adequate water in the area will have significant implications for the local economy and, in a related fashion, will also impact the fiscal situation of area governments. The subject paper, prepared by Elliott D. Pollack & Company for The Central Arizona Partnership (a non-governmental group), was developed to provide specific information regarding the economic and fiscal impact of the pipeline through the year 2050. It appears that study is meant to provide citizens, business representatives and others with information for making decisions. The study has significant problems that reduce its use in decision making: (1) the foundation upon which the study is built, and (2) technical issues. View Document.

2012-04-16 The Big Chino Pipeline: Fact versus Fiction

The City of Prescott and Town of Prescott Valley continue with plans to construct a pipeline that would transport from 8,000 to 11,500 acre-feet of water per year from the Big Chino Sub-basin of the Verde River Watershed into the Prescott Active Management Area. To garner support for their project, the municipalities and other proponents have made a number of unsupportable claims. The following are some of these claims and the facts you need to know. View document.

Response to Pollack Report: Moglewer

The August 2008 report by Elliot D. Pollack & Company on the Big Chino Water Ranch Project has been reviewed. This report was an impact analysis of the proposed project. The analysis incorporated forecasts of community population growth, alternative scenarios of growth based upon assumptions of available water supplies, and opportunity costs from failure to develop the pipeline. Results were quantified in constant 2008 dollars. The report focused on impacts to the City of Prescott and the Town of Prescott Valley. The basic conclusion of the Pollack report is that failure to build the Big Chino Pipeline at an estimated cost of $174.8 million dollars would result in a total lost economic impact to the two communities of over $15 billion dollars.
A major concern is that this report is inadequate for decision-making. It represents an optimistic upper bound not likely to be achieved. The report does not include adverse possibilities. Although it may represent a first attempt to get into the ballpark, it is way out in left field and not near home plate. View Document.

2012-03-28 Big Chino Aquifer Map

View document.

A Resolution of the Mayor and Council of the City of Prescott Adopting a Council Policy Regarding the Use of Water Rights from the Retirement of Historically Irrigated Acreage on the Big Chino Ranch

July 12, 2005 Prescott City Council resolution saying water rights resulting from the retirement of historically irrigated acres on the Big Chino Water Ranch will not be used for development or growth but will be dedicated to mitigation or safe yield to the extent needed. 

 View Document.

Intergovernmental Agreement for the Sale of Water and Cost Participation (BCWR/Prescott/Prescott Valley)

This Intergovernmental Agreement for the Sale of Water and Cost Participation is dated  December 7, 2004, by and between the City of Prescott  and the Town of Prescott Valley. This agreement authorized the purchase of the JWK Ranch (later renamed the Big Chino Water Ranch) for the purpose of transporting water from the Big Chino aquifer to the Prescott Active Management area for use by Prescott and Prescott Valley. 

 View Document.

Response to Pollack Report: Danforth

An August 2008 study entitled "Big Chino Water Ranch Project Impact Analysis, Prescott & Prescott Valley, Arizona" prepared by Elliott D. Pollack & Company commissioned by the Central Arizona Partnership, presents a methodology to illustrate the costs of not completing the Big Chino Water Ranch pipeline project and applies that methodology to quantify the fiscal and economic impacts of that project. The Report incorporates a large number of major analytical shortcomings that result in estimates of fiscal and economic impacts which are grossly overstated and largely irrelevant to the current citizens of Prescott and Prescott Valley. View Document.

Six Water Supply Issues in the Upper Verde River Watershed

A short summary of six critical issues in the upper Verde River Watershed.  View document.

Big Chino Water Ranch Project Impact Analysis

Elliott D. Pollack & Company was retained by Central Arizona Partnership to perform an impact analysis of the BCWR project. The analysis involved a number of tasks including identifying reasonable forecasts for community population growth; comparing these forecasts to scenarios of growth if water supply is restricted by the Assured Water Supply Rules; illustrating the opportunity costs of not developing the pipeline; and quantifying the results of the analysis. All dollar figures are in 2008 dollars. Following is a summary of the results:
The City of Prescott was granted an Assured Water Supply Designation of 14,822 acre-feet in 2005. As of the end of 2007, the City estimated that 1,700 acre-feet remained available for allocation to new development. Without any importation of water, the City of Prescott can build an estimated 4,857 residential units, or support a population of 10,686 people. This population will be reached by 2014. The Town of Prescott Valley has the water rights to more than 5,000 acre feet and estimates they could issue about 17,000 residential permits. This would support an additional 40,000 people and would constrain growth past 2031. However, it is important to note that the limitations that will first exist in the City of Prescott may temporarily push new residential development to the Town of Prescott Valley.
If the City of Prescott and the Town of Prescott Valley are unable to issue additional permits, and the communities are no longer able to grow, they would incur lost economic activity as well as a significant impact on government revenues. With no additional residential homes, the demand for commercial will also be limited. These impacts are calculated over a 25-year impact period.View Document.

2014-07-28 Why Pumping the Big Chino will impact the Verde River

Correspondence from CWAG summarizing the reasons why pumping the Big Chino will diminish the upper Verde River, from John Zambrano to Mayor Wilson. View Document.

2014-07-29 Water 101-108: Understanding Yavapai County Water Issues

A series of eight short articles explaining the background of the area water problems. Written by Steve Ayers for publication in the Verde Independent. 15 pages, easy to read. View Document.

2014-08-03 Ecological Implications of Verde River Flows - Summary

Summary report, 4 pages. The Verde River Ecological Flows study is a collaboration between The Nature Conservancy, Arizona Water Institute, and Verde River Basin Partnership. The purpose of the study is to develop a conceptual understanding of how the Verde River ecosystem would respond to variations in the river's hydrology—especially to decreases in river flows. The study team compiled and summarized what is known about the river's physical and ecological characteristics, drawing upon available data and what is known about hydrology-biology relationships on similar rivers. View Document.

2014-08-03 The History of SRP’s Claims on the Verde River and Current Legal Issues

Three part article written by Steve Ayers and published in the Verde Independent in 2003. Excellent summary. 5 pages. View Document.

A Critique of the Student Note Entitled “The Battle to Save the Verde: How Arizona’s Water Law Could Destroy One of Its Last Free-Flowing Rivers”

It is undoubtedly a rare thing for a Student Note to evoke such a visceral reaction that it prompts a detailed critique on its merits and underlying bias. The Note entitled, "The Battle to Save the Verde: How Arizona's Water Law Could Destroy One of Its Last Free-Flowing Rivers," published by the Arizona Law Review in Spring 2009, is such a Note. Like other published Notes, it is offered as an objective work of legal scholarship designed to influence the bar, the bench and other readers on the relative merits of an existing legal controversy—in this case, the Big Chino Water Ranch Project (Project).
But, in fact, as this critique will demonstrate, the Note is an advocacy piece for opponents of the Project that is both inaccurate and incomplete, thereby failing to fairly and objectively evaluate the legal validity of the issues presented. Each of these flaws alone is sufficient to mar the credibility of the Note but, in concert, render the Note wholly unreliable. Written by Colleen Auer, Deputy Town Attorney, Town of Prescott Valley. View Document.

ADWR Discussions of Big Chino AMA

ADWR internal discussions on the creation of a Big Chino AMA. View Document.

Arsenic in Arizona’s Water Supply

Frequently Asked Questions about arsenic in drinking water. A CWAG bulletin. View Document. 

Big Chino Sub-basin Historical and Current Water Uses and Water Use Projections

This study was initiated to address two water related questions about the Big Chino sub-basin. The first of these concerns the right associated with certain lands to transfer water out of the Big Chino Sub-basin to the Prescott AMA. According to Arizona Revised Statutes, § 45-555, lands that were irrigated with groundwater at any time between January 1, 1975 and January 1, 1990 are eligible for a right to transfer up to 3 acre-feet per acre retired to the Prescott AMA. To date, lands irrigated during this time period have not been comprehensively identified. Document prepared by the Yavapai County Water Advisory Committee. View Document.

Big Chino Valley is the source of the Verde River

An early report by an SRP hydrology consultant describing the Big Chino Valley as the groundwater source for the upper Verde.  View Document.

Big Chino Water Ranch Expenditures

Summary of expenses for Big Chino Water Ranch provided by Prescott in response to a Public Records request by CWAG. View Document.

Big Chino Water Ranch Project Monitoring/Modeling FY17 Annual Report

Big Chino Sub-Basin Water Monitoring Project Monitoring/Modeling FY17 Annual Report, 26 pages. City of Prescott, Town of Prescott Valley, Salt River Project.  View Document.

Central Yavapai Highlands Water Resource Management Study

The Central Yavapai Highlands Water Resource Management Study (CYHWRMS) reports can be downloaded here.

COP-PV-SRP Agreement in Principle, 2010

The agreement in principle is a legally non-binding agreement replacing litigation with cooperation. View Document.

COP-PV-SRP Comprehensive Agreement 1, 2012

The City of Prescott, the Town of Prescott Valley, and the Salt River Project have ratified this agreement to better understand the relationship between Big Chino Valley groundwater and the Verde River. The parties will collect additional data and construct a more detailed groundwater model of the area. View Document.

Correspondence: CWAG and AZ Department of Water Resources Director Herb Guenther

CWAG to Guenther 10-18-07
Guenther to CWAG 12-10-07
CWAG to Guenther 1-10-08

Courier Editorial: “Let the pipeline go”

Courier editorial advocating abandonment of the Big Chino Water Ranch pipeline. View Document.

Districts and Recharge

Presentation for Safe Yield Workgroup. Presents case studies of San Pedro, Santa Clara, and Sacramento water districts, plus various recharge projects. View Document.

Ecological Flows Assessment Presentation

Presentation by the Nature Conservancy to the Verde Watershed Association describing the Ecological Flows Assessment project. July, 2006 View Document.

Ecological Implications of Verde River Flows – Full Report

Full report, 124 pages. The Verde River Ecological Flows study is a collaboration between The Nature Conservancy, Arizona Water Institute, and Verde River Basin Partnership. The purpose of the study is to develop a conceptual understanding of how the Verde River ecosystem would respond to variations in the river's hydrology—especially to decreases in river flows. The study team compiled and summarized what is known about the river's physical and ecological characteristics, drawing upon available data and what is known about hydrology-biology relationships on similar rivers. View Document.

Evaluation of Safe Yield and Aquifer Protection programs across the US

Presentation by Mark Holmes to the Safe Yield Workgroup. View Document.