12/31/2007 11:59:00 PM SRP increases pressure for mitigation plan
The Daily Courier/Nathaniel Kastelic
Greg Kornrumph, left, Senior Analyst of Water Rights and Contracts with SRP, leads a hike for the Big Chino Ranch mitigation group in this September 2005 photo along the Verde River near Stillman Lake in Chino Valley.
The powerful Salt River Project is ramping up pressure on Prescott-area communities to come up with a cooperative mitigation plan before they start to pump groundwater from the Big Chino Sub-basin north of here.
SRP sent a detailed five-page letter to Prescott, Prescott Valley and Chino Valley officials on Dec. 11 that demanded a mitigation and monitoring plan after meeting with tri-cities officials on Nov. 19.
The letter surfaced Monday in an e-mail from the Center for Biological Diversity, which has threatened Prescott with a lawsuit over the proposed Big Chino pipeline because of its potential impacts on threatened and endangered species that depend on the Verde River.
SRP is one of the largest water providers in the state, and it gets one-third of its surface water for its Phoenix-area customers from senior water rights on the Verde River.
Scientists generally agree that 80 percent of the baseflow of the Upper Verde River comes from the Big Chino aquifer.
Prescott-area municipalities are designing two pipelines to bring Big Chino water south to their groundwater-depleted region. Chino Valley announced its plan this year to build its own pipeline with the help of a large Big Chino landowner, after CV officials decided they couldn't afford to join in the pipeline that Prescott and Prescott Valley are building.
SRP plans lawsuit?
In a Nov. 30 letter to SRP after the private Nov. 19 meeting, Chino Valley officials expressed dismay at SRP's recent actions.
Chino officials have repeatedly offered to work on a monitoring and mitigation plan with SRP, but now it appears SRP no longer wants to work cooperatively, Chino Valley Water Resources Manager Mark Holmes said Monday.
"To date, the only response we have received from SRP is your indication at the Nov. 19 meeting that SRP intends to pursue litigation," Chino's letter states.
"Now that they've threatened us, that puts a damper on continued negotiations," Holmes said.
SRP has not yet received any responses to its Dec. 11 letter, SRP spokesman Scott Harelson said.
"It's an issue that a team of (Prescott and Prescott Valley) attorneys is evaluating, so there will be no statement from us at this time," PV Water Resources Manager John Munderloh said. Munderloh was the only person who attended the Dec. 11 meeting who was available for comment Monday.
Harelson said SRP always wants to avoid litigation if possible.
"SRP wants an agreed-upon monitoring and mitigation plan before pumping begins," Harelson said. "We would prefer this not go to litigation, but obviously if the issues discussed in the meeting and letter are not resolved, that is an option."
Long-standing demand
SRP has been demanding a binding written mitigation plan for years, ever since former Prescott Mayor Sam Steiger announced the city would pursue its special right to Big Chino groundwater under a 1991 state law.
"Please be advised that without some practical, measurable, legal and binding mitigation, we intend to take appropriate action to oppose and ultimately prevent attempts by the city and towns or others from pumping from the Big Chino, thereby reducing the flows of the Verde River in violation of the rights of our shareholders," SRP's president wrote to the Prescott-area mayors in 2001.
Prescott's brand new Mayor Jack Wilson said he supports a written mitigation and monitoring plan before any Big Chino pumping occurs.
He wants to collaborate with SRP on the plans, although he's not saying he'll let SRP have the final say.
"I definitely will not support spending money on a pipeline until this issue is resolved," Wilson said.
Mitigation progress
Prescott and Prescott Valley already have taken numerous mitigation measures, Munderloh said.
The city bought a ranch 15 miles above its previous well site so its withdrawal point would be much farther from the river, he noted. He estimates that action alone cost the two entities an extra $70 million.
The Prescott City Council committed to ending irrigation on the city's ranch, and the city has agreed to a well monitoring plan in a letter to the state, Munderloh said. It already installed several new monitoring wells.
The Upper Verde River Watershed Protection Coalition of Prescott-area governments is considering a formal federal Habitat Conservation Plan, he added. And Prescott-area governments are participating in the cost of federal studies about the Verde Watershed and future alternative water sources.
SRP petition versus Chino Valley
SRP's letter also notes that SRP has registered its written opposition to Chino Valley's plan to pump its Big Chino groundwater from a single location.
Arizona Department of Water Resources officials already have stated that they believe it's OK for Chino to pump from one location, even though Chino bought groundwater irrigation rights from numerous Big Chino farms.
SRP is arguing that state law requires the pumping to occur at the same farm where a Prescott Active Management Area municipality has "retired" irrigation rights.
State and Chino Valley officials argue that it would be economically unfeasible to build pipelines to all the farms the town now owns.
SRP has filed a petition to force the state to review its decision.
Posted: Wednesday, January 02, 2008
Article comment by:
Jon Elkin
Thanks to the Courier for publishing the SRP letter. Our local politicians and bureaucrats who have committed to the land purchases and pipeline no doubt are loath to let the public fully understand all the impediments to pumping more ground water to support additional development.
Posted: Tuesday, January 01, 2008
Article comment by:
Gabrielle
Thank you, Ms. Nellans and Courier staff for illuminating the correspondence between SRP and the representatives of the City of Prescott, and towns of Prescott Valley and Chino Valley. Let the light continue to shine on protection for our beautiful Verde River.
Posted: Tuesday, January 01, 2008
Article comment by:
lothario
And so it continues, but now is in the hands of the least capable, and most impractical, the attorneys. Unsubstantiated claims, impossible conditions, illogical solutions, under the guise of science. Monitoring wells will never be conclusive evidence of anything except the difference between today and yesterday. If water goes up it is nature, if it goes down it is whoever can be blamed. It is all speculation, even the Big Chino's 80% contribution to upper Verde Flows. If the tri Cities set up a monitoring and mitigation plan today, and never pulled one drop of water out of the Big Chino, would they still be responsible for decreased flow? The legal issue of the water rights are taken care of. Everything else is the boogie man.
Posted: Tuesday, January 01, 2008
Article comment by:
Tom Steele
This issue is not one of the "tree huggers" vs the wonderful Land Barons and Maracopa developers. It's a matter of "water rights" for the people who live here now. The big ranchers who see $$$$$ for their grazing land if it is developed are no too interested in water for current residents. While the "good ole boys" say the new residents are trying to change things; they are right! We see injustice and will work to correct the efforts of developers to defraud current residents of an assured water supply.
Thanks to Mayor Wilson for taking the high road to safe yeald of our water supply. No thanks to the Prescott Valley officials who blindly follow the "grow or die" mentality of the ranchers and developers. We are in the 12th year of what could be a 50 year draught and without adding one more new home. We are taking more water from the ground by about 75,000 people than Mother Nature is providing us. Think about that!
