Save the Verde! OPEN HOUSE & News

Greetings,

A DON'T MISS Event!
The Center for Biological Diversity staff and friends welcome you to join us in our Prescott office for an open house from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. at 119 Grove Avenue this Saturday, June 9.  Come meet the staff and learn about the organization while enjoying fine local foods and live music. A brief presentation will take place at 5 p.m.  There will also be a raffle for a framed limited edition bald eagle print and a silent auction for stunning art pieces.  Contact Joanne at (928) 772-8204 for more information.

River Killing Delayed
In Prescott city council news, the mayor and council authorized an application to the Arizona Department of Water Resources to modify Prescott's "Designation of Assured Water Supply." This application is a step toward modifying the 1999 determination to include pumping of the Big Chino Water Ranch. Receiving approval will recognize this water resource and determine an amount physically, continuously, and legally available to the city. 

This process, though focused on the Big Chino Water Ranch, requires a complete review of all the supplies available to the city including groundwater available inside the Active Management Area, effluent supplies and the surface water from Granite Creek. Preparation and state processing of the application is anticipated to take approximately 12 months, delaying water delivery from the water ranch until 2010. The city intends to continue to proceed with right-of-way acquisitions and pipeline design activities.

Though the pipeline project is delayed, there appears to be no real deviation from the original course.  Project manager Jim Holt was heard to say on local radio recently that pumping miles away from the Verde springs was itself "mitigation." And the Upper Verde River Watershed Protection Coalition, the group that includes Prescott, Prescott Valley, Chino Valley and Yavapai County, stands behind its questionable and inadequate "Project Plan" for reducing impacts from the Big Chino Water Ranch pipeline. You can see details of the plan at www.pvaz.net/Government/boards/Downloads/ProjectPlan.pdf.

Meanwhile, Back at the Garlic Ranch...
Chino Valley announced its plans to pump water associated with "historically irrigated acreage" (HIA: acres irrigated between 1975 and 1990) on the CV Ranch, located near Prescott's Big Chino Water Ranch, from other HIA lands they've purchased in recent years in an area northwest of town near Paulden known as the Garlic Farm. As recently reported, Chino Valley signed an agreement with developer Chino Grande, LLC, to lease and eventually acquire up to 1,000 acres of HIA on the former CV Ranch property. In turn, the developer will design and build the 12-mile pipeline to transport the water and place into conservation easements a minimum of 20% of the CV Ranch. 

Chino Valley is insisting that their pumping, just five miles from the Verde springs, can be mitigated.  They intend to recharge 75 percent of the treated effluent from the HIA water. They also intend to work with ASU's Morrison Institute to incorporate "Smart and Sustainable Water Resource Growth" into the town's general plan, utilizing water conservation, sustainable development planning, and public involvement in the process. Sounds good. If only they'd started out by letting the public in on the six months of negotiations they'd been having with the developer prior to voting to approve the final agreement on May 10.

Verde River Water Reports
At their Arizona's Upper Verde Watershed Web site, Prescott-area scientists Ed Wolfe and Bill Myers present objective information about water resource issues. Their most recent papers, A Plan to Mitigate the Effect of Prescott's Proposed Pumpage from Big Chino Valley on the Flow of the Upper Verde River�What Needs to be Considered, How We Know That Ground Water in the Big Chino Valley Flows into the Verde River, and Why Big Chino Pumping Threatens the Verde can be found at http://www.upperverdewaterissues.org/.

Next Pipeline Protection Coalition Meeting
Please attend the next meeting of the Upper Verde River Watershed Protection Coalition on Wednesday, June 27 at 2:00 p.m. and request that Prescott and Prescott Valley join Chino Valley in creating comprehensive mitigation for their proposed pipelines. Insist they also work with the Fish and Wildlife Service to prepare a Habitat Conservation Plan (see letter dated April 29, 2005) and that they move toward a regional water management district that includes the Big Chino subbasin. The meeting is at the Prescott Town Hall, 201 S. Cortez Street. Call Joanne at (928) 772-8204 for more information and talking points.

Calendar
Check out the latest calendar of events! If you have an item for the calendar or want more information, please contact Joanne at (928) 772-8204 or Michelle at (602) 628-9909.

In the Schools
Save the Verde campaign volunteer Ashley Fine has created a Verde River hydrology lesson for elementary students and is presenting to several classrooms in the Prescott and Verde Valley areas. If you're interested in having Ashley share information or present to a class, please contact her at (928) 533-4309.

More House Parties!
Want to do something special for the Verde? Host a letter-writing party! All you have to do is let us know you want to host a party, invite a few friends, provide some food and beverages, and we'll show up with some entertainment, ideas and materials. If you're short on friends who can help, we'll find some for you � our phone list is growing! Please contact Ashley at (928) 533-4309 if you're interested in hosting a House Party.

Take Action!!
Visit savetheverde.org and click to Take Action! From the site you can send letters to the editor of local papers and send letters to decision-makers. You don't have to wait for a house party! Send a letter now!! You can also download a Little Drop of Water to decorate and send us.

Make a Contribution
The Center for Biological Diversity appreciates your interest and involvement in the Save the Verde campaign. Please visit savetheverde.org for other news and updates. You can make a donation to this campaign from the secure Web site. Please contribute today!

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