Should Yavapai County government do more water management? Should domestic wells be monitored? What should the Board of Supervisors do to improve groundwater management in rural Arizona? Should  the Supervisors take action to protect the Verde River, the only surviving living river in Arizona?

Candidates for the Yavapai County Board of Supervisors responded to water related questions at the 20th annual Candidate Forum, sponsored by the Citizens Water Advocacy Group.

Link to 2024 Yavapai County Basic Facts.  Link to 2024 BOS Forum Questions.

Board of Supervisors – Prescott area District 1: Brooks Compton (R); Greg L. Mengarelli (R); Deb Pernice (R); David W. McNabb (R) did not participate. 

CWAG is nonpartisan, but all water issues are political. The purpose of the candidate forums is to insert water policy into our political and electoral dialogue and to inform voters and candidates about water issues. 

CWAG is a local citizens group advocating for a sustainable water future for the Prescott region and central Yavapai County, and for the protection of the upper Verde River. For more information, visit www.cwagaz.org, call 928-445-4218, or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Mark Holmes is a Registered Geologist with long experience in municipal water management in Chino Valley and cities in the Maricopa Valley. He describeed why we need regional management, who should participate, and how we can make it happen. He reviewed some successes and failures other areas have experienced.

Arizona groundwater management has not been successful in the Prescott AMA, named by the Arizona Department of Water Resources (ADWR) as the worst performing in the state. Groundwater overdrafts continue to reduce groundwater levels, Del Rio Springs is nearly dry, the base flow of the Verde River is declining, and domestic wells are failing on the edges of the aquifer. Although the cities in the AMA share a common water resource, they continue to compete for more water to facilitate growth. Instead, cities and county should begin to work together on regional water planning.