El Niño has brought plentiful rains to recharge the depleted aquifer under the Prescott region, but those same rains can be a headache for rural residents.
Shortly after buying property in the Haystack Ranch area east of Chino Valley in December 2004, the Glen Brose family first came to realize that Granite Creek flows over the main dirt road (Perkinsville) that accesses their home.
When they bought the place, they didn't realize the creek would flood the road during heavy rain events.
"We just didn't ask the right questions, that's all," Brose said. "It's just one of those things you don't think about."
And he's well aware that many other rural residents have faced the same issue after they already bought their properties.
Floodwaters closed Perkinsville Road during the next few months of that wet winter of 2004-2005, but the Broses had not yet moved into their new home so they didn't have to deal with it.
These days, however, they are dealing with floodwaters on a regular basis.
The Town of Chino Valley officially closed Perkinsville Road at Granite Creek this week, although the town doesn't prevent residents from crossing it with high-clearance vehicles to reach their homes. About 30 families live on the Haystack Ranch lot splits, and a few long-time ranch families and residents of the Garchen Buddhist Institute also live in the area.
Glen Brose is wondering if the El Niño rains will subside before his Ford F150 can no longer cross the creek. At this point, he estimated the creek is about 100 yards wide and impassable in passenger vehicles.
If the road becomes impassable for their truck, they will have to drive back roads all the way to Williams or Jerome to reach any community.
All the residents east of the Granite Creek crossing live outside of the Town of Chino Valley.
Chino Valley annexed land including the Granite Creek crossing early this century, but it has no plans to build a bridge or low-water crossing on Perkinsville Road.
The town has a couple more pressing flooding issues that its own residents face, Chino Valley Public Works Director Ron Grittman said. For example, the town is working on a better Santa Cruz Wash crossing for about 1,200 Chino Meadows residents.
A low-water crossing at Granite Creek would cost about a quarter-million dollars, Grittman estimated.
The town has spent money more than once to repair the existing Granite Creek crossing, however. It just spent about $6,000-$7,000 in January to replace all the dirt and rock that the creek washed away and added some larger rocks.
The town is willing to talk to residents and the county about paying for a joint project, Grittman added. The Wells family, long-time ranchers east of Chino Valley, has already donated $2,000 to help out.
When the El Niño rain and snow started in December, the City of Prescott's Watson and Willow lakes held back much of the Granite Creek flow.
But as the precipitation continued, the lakes filled and the water started flowing over the lakes' spillways.
"We have no control over it whatsoever," Prescott Utilities Operations Manager Craig Dotseth said. "It's Mother Nature.
"I understand their situation (at the downstream crossing), but unfortunately we're not the cause, and we're even helping it a bit."
He explained that Prescott has diverted some of the creek flow since Feb. 18 by sending creek waters through a pipeline into its large open earthen basins that cover 40 acres less than a mile east of Granite Creek, east of the intersection of Highway 89 and Old Highway 89A.
Recharging the creek waters into the depleted Little Chino Aquifer has been a boon to the city's water supplies. The basins are taking in about five million gallons per day, about the same amount the city's residents use each day, Dotseth said.
"We are absolutely blessed to get this moisture this year," Dotseth said.
The city also was able to divert creek waters in 2008 and 2005.
The diversions have to meet requirements of an agreement between Prescott and the Salt River Project, which owns senior water rights on the Verde River that Granite Creek flows into. SRP supplies water for much of the Phoenix area.
SRP allows the Prescott diversions when its downstream lakes are full.
Reader Comments
Posted: Saturday, March 13, 2010
Article comment by:
Mad Dog
I think the jeep can make it
Posted: Saturday, March 13, 2010
Article comment by:
Creagan McConnell
Joanna, just so we are clear the Big Chino Aquifer is located in the Paulden Region not the Prescott Region. The aquifer is not even located in the Prescott AMA. Us Pauldeneers would appreciate the acknowledgement.
Posted: Friday, March 12, 2010
Article comment by:
tired of it all
This is a very unusualy wet winter we are having, so the flooding is normal with this kind of moisture. But if Prescott and PV were going to use bailout money for road improvements then why didn't Chino Valley get any money? There are a lot of dirt roads that need paving, not grading in the Chino/Paulden area.
Posted: Friday, March 12, 2010
Article comment by:
A Question
So if it takes flood conditions for Prescott to recharge water as fast as it uses it, then what about the other 350+ days a year? Oh right...
Posted: Friday, March 12, 2010
Article comment by:
Katie Polacek
As a resident of Haystack, this article is very frustrating because the Town of Chino Valley is not taking any responsibility for their road. Expensive culverts were "supposedly" bought but never used, where are they? The Town spent taxpayers money putting in too small of culverts in this area and down the road, and now blame the problem on Mother Nature? Their solution is to dump rock that is carried down the wash. How is the Santa Cruz Wash more pressing when there are other ways around the water when it runs? Maybe if things were done correctly the first time, money would not be an issue. I find it odd the Town puts up the Road Closed sign after the Livestock Sale is over, then we are held liable for crossing. We chose to buy where we live, and we take full responsibility for this. It's time the Town of Chino Valley does the same.
Posted: Friday, March 12, 2010
Article comment by:
Someone needs a cookie
You always have a couple options. You can move into town but then you wanted to be out in the sticks. You could pay for road improvements yourself but then its easier to expect others to pay for it. You have the option to drive up over the hill to Jerome then come around to the tri city area. Its a real bummer you did not think of the dry washes when you moved into this area, don't they have washes in your old home in California? Stop whining and live with an occasional inconvenience, thats what life is all about.
Posted: Friday, March 12, 2010
Article comment by:
Herbert Simcox
This crossing IS in the annexed area of the town! The town sold annexation to us under the lie that they would do a better job maintaining roads. Since Chino (Dan Main) wanted to gobble up all this land, it's their job to maintain the road. How did they approve the Haystack Ranch development without clearly notifying buyers that they couldn't get to their homes when it rains?
Posted: Friday, March 12, 2010
Article comment by:
Just A Thought
Why don't the residents of Haystack Ranch just form a road improvement district with the county and pay for a bridge themselves? Antelope Meadows and Poquito Valley residents formed improvement districts for their road issues. If you do not like the crossing then be proactive and form an improvement district to solve the problem. Don't just complain to the nearest city. Build a bridge yourselves.
Posted: Friday, March 12, 2010
Article comment by:
That is only part of it
When Haystack Ranches was being developed there was really no one out there to ask how often it flooded. I think everyone knew it was in the 100 year flood plain, whatever that really means. Granite Creek is only part of the problem. Storm events also cause flooding from the Poquito Valley drainage area, and those flows top over Perkinsville Road too. I can't imagine how the town will be able to deal with it all, but they probably need to try perfecting the legal access for Perkinsville Road first.
