HomeVideo Archive2021-09-18 The Future of Water for the Quad Cities

CWAG is often asked: "How long will our water last?" While scientists can’t accurately answer this question, they do know that the groundwater that supplies Quad City residents is being pumped at a far greater rate than it is being replenished. This situation (called overdraft), has already resulted in hundreds of failing family wells, and is poised to threaten the upper Verde River and the very livability of our rural areas. Water experts from the Citizens Water Advocacy Group (CWAG) explained the dangers of the overdraft and present ways to achieve sustainable water use at a CWAG-sponsored Zoom Webinar.

Gary Beverly, CWAG president with Ed Wolf, CWAG Board member, discussed how groundwater from the Little Chino and Agua Fria aquifers is used and why current methods of recharge cannot offset the unsustainable drop in aquifer levels that is impacting family wells and rural life. Gary also addressed how the overdraft jeopardizes the health of the upper Verde River and the habitats it provides.

This presentation includes ways in which Quad Cities leaders can work together to update water management policies and institute conservation programs to reduce the overdraft and help protect our water for the future. New development accelerates the depletion of the aquifers, and while current water management policies are based on legally permitted groundwater pumping, they turn a blind eye to the reality of falling aquifer levels. Without attaining sustainable groundwater use, cities and towns may well face a very expensive future water shortage, with some rural areas becoming unlivable.

Gary Beverly holds a PhD degree in Physical Chemistry from the University of California. He joined CWAG in 2010 and previously taught physical science and alternative energy at Yavapai College, and also worked as a farmer, contractor, and businessman.

Ed Wolfe, Ph.D., is a geologist retired from the U.S. Geological Survey and a founding member of CWAG. He is a former chairman of the Verde Watershed Association, former chairman of the Verde River Basin Partnership’s Technical Advisory Group, and former chairman of the Partnership’s Board of Directors.

 

DAILY DROPLET

  • "Ranchers need clean water for their stock, farmers need it for their crops, every employer needs it to stay in business, and every living thing needs it for life... The law needs to be clear to protect water quality and the rights of landowners."
    Mark Udall

  • "Water is the driver of Nature."
    Leonardo da Vinci

  • "When the well is dry, we know the worth of water."
    Benjamin Franklin, Poor Richard’s Almanac, 1746

  • "...and since flow of information is to spirit what water is to life, we'd best think about how to keep the pipes free and unclogged."
    Raphie Frank

  • "In an age when man has forgotten his origins and is blind even to his most essential needs for survival, water along with other resources has become the victim of his indifference."
    Rachel Carson

  • "We forget that the water cycle and the life cycle are one."
    Jacques Yves Cousteau

  • "Water is life's matter and matrix, mother and medium. There is no life without water."
    Albert Szent-Gyorgyi, 1937 Nobel Prize for Medicine

  • "Water is everywhere and in all living things; we cannot be separated from water. No water, no life. Period..."
    Robert Fulghum

  • "It's the water. Everything is driven by the water."
    Mike Thompson

  • "Whiskey is for drinking; water is for fighting over."
    Mark Twain