UPPER VERDE RIVER 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.

2012-04-11 The Endangered Upper Verde River, Tables and References

Bulletin Number 6A is a companion to this bulletin and presents a narrative description of a threat to the River from the likely exportation of Water from the Big Chino sub-basin to the Prescott Active Management Area (PAMA) and from development within the Big Chino itself. This Bulletin, 6B, presents similar information, but in a tabular form including references. The reader is encouraged to read Bulletin 6A for a fuller understanding of the issue. 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.

The Endangered Upper Verde River

In 2006, American Rivers designated the Verde River as one of the nation’s ten most endangered rivers. The endangered portion is the upper 24-mile stretch from the River’s confluence with Granite Creek to Perkinsville. View document.

2014-07-28 Why Care About the Verde?

Presentation describing the values of the Verde River by Joanne Oellers, 2009. 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 Verde Watershed Fly-thru Visualization

Come fly with us through the Verde River watershed! Under a new NSF Geosciences Education Program grant, we are developing a 3-D visualization of the Verde watershed. The watershed, located northeast of Phoenix, is the first focus area for a series of visualizations that are being developed as an educational tool for grade 8-12 classrooms. The goal of this tool is to educate students about basic hydrologic processes and important watershed concepts. The narrated fly-through will foster an understanding that goes beyond static maps and graphs. It features animated sequences and decision-making opportunities at various points in the upper and lower watersheds, making visible otherwise unseen processes, and creates a link for students to actually see the impacts of their own city on the changing watershed. Video available at: http://web.sahra.arizona.edu/education2/wsviz/

2014-07-30 River of the Month: The Verde River

Short profile of the Verde River. 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.

Arizona Rivers Navigability Status

Summary report from American Whitewater: "The Arizona Navigable Stream Adjudication Commission ("ANSAC") has determined that, with the exception of the Colorado River, none of Arizona's watercourses is navigable. Ownership of the streambeds of non-navigable watercourses rests with either the federal government or private parties. Although the public likely enjoys recreational rights on waters above federally-owned streambeds, it has no such right to access waters above privately-owned streambeds." 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.

Biological Inventory of the Verde Watershed

Technical analysis of the flora and fauna of the Verde Watershed, part of the Citizens Proposal for the Upper Verde Wild and Scenic River. View Document.

Chino and US Fish & Wildlife Service cooperate on Verde

Chino Valley and the USFWS signed a Memorandum of Understanding detailing their intent to cooperate in avoiding impacts to the upper Verde River. 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.

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.

Enhancing the Understanding and Importance of Granting Instream Flow Water Rights in Arizona

Because of the rising demand for water supplies in urbanized, agricultural, and industrialized Arizona, water has been diverted from many rivers and streams to serve socio-economic needs. These diversions have often resulted in diminished stream flows and, when not properly managed, have had a negative impact on the riparian resources of Arizona's rivers and streams. To achieve a better economic and environmental balance in water allocations between instream and offstream uses, a more comprehensive understanding of the values of instream flows and the laws and regulations that affect allocations of these flows is needed. View Document.

Environmental Flows and Water Demands

This bulletin explains the water demands of the environment in the Central Arizona Region, an area that includes the Verde River, Agua Fria and Upper Hassayampa groundwater basins, as well as the Prescott Phoenix, and Pinal Active Management Areas (AMAs). Written by U of A WRRC. View Document. 

Evaluation of the NARGFM model

Evaluation of the groundwater model developed by the USGS (NARGFM), determining that the NARGFM model is an excellent tool for examining long- term changes in groundwater levels and related stream flow in the Paulden, Chino Valley, Prescott and Prescott Valley areas. By Dr. Peter Kroopnick, CWAG Science Committee Chair. View Document.