With Prescott-area water tables dropping at an unsustainable rate, what programs have other Arizona cities put in place that could help the Quad Cities slow groundwater loss and plan for the future? Erin Young, Water Resources Manager for the City of Flagstaff, detailed the elements of Flagstaff’s water resources program in a Zoom webinar hosted by the Citizens Water Advocacy Group (CWAG).
With a population of about 75,000 that could double once the community is built out, Flagstaff’s Water Resources department is future-focused in its planning. Young discussed her project work, which includes water demand tracking and forecasting, long-term water source and watershed monitoring, well drilling, master planning around climate uncertainty and advances in regulations, technology, and public perceptions, customer data informatics, and policy development. Water Resources is one of eight sections under Flagstaff’s Water Services Division.
Ms. Young also talked about Flagstaff’s water conservation program and her work in assisting with water security and water rights issues that affect Flagstaff as a rural city in one of two unsettled stream adjudication areas in Arizona. Following her presentation, audience members were invited to ask questions.
CWAG President Gary Beverly hosted the Zoom webinar and moderated the Q&A session. Ms. Young, who joined the City of Flagstaff in 2013, is a board member of the Arizona Hydrological Society Foundation and treasurer of the Arizona Section of WateReuse, an organization dedicated to advancing the use of recycled water. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Geology from Arizona State University (2000), a Master of Science in Geology from Northern Arizona University (2006), and is a registered geologist in Arizona.
Link for slides shown in presentation: Flagstaff's Water Management Program.