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OpEd: Are domestic wells draining our aquifer?

Are domestic wells draining our aquifer? No.

In the Prescott Active Management Area (PrAMA), family homes in rural areas that are not served by a water utility must rely on a small domestic well. The Arizona Department of Water Resources (ADWR) calls these family wells “exempt wells,” meaning that they are not required to report annual water use.

ADWR management plans do not mention and fail to protect these families. ADWR is apparently unaware that about 500 family wells on the edges of the Little Chino aquifer in the PrAMA are now failing, an early symptom of excessive groundwater pumping. Worse, one local water manager has historically blamed family wells for the groundwater overdraft, claiming the wells are unregulated. This is an attempt to deflect blame from the true culprits by scapegoating.

To learn more, view a pdf of CWAG's column in the Daily Courier, published April 7, 2024.
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OpEd: Population growth versus water

Growth is inevitable and there is no legal or practical way to stop it. However, growth can be managed and regulated by local zoning and city policies. Many citizens hope and believe that water resources can be used to limit growth, but that is not the case. 

To learn more, view a pdf of CWAG's column in the Daily Courier, published February 20, 2024
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OpEd: Verde River: Stewardship versus ownership

The Verde River lives and supports life. Perennial flowing water creates a lush and rare riparian forest supporting three-quarters of the vertebrate species in Arizona, including 19 species listed by the Endangered Species Act. It contains dozens of cultural and historic sites, provides many recreational opportunities, and supplies water and economic benefits to downstream communities. But under Arizona water law, the Verde is an object to be exploited by extracting groundwater used to support economic development. 

To learn more, view a pdf of CWAG's column in the Daily Courier, published October 11, 2023.

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Eleven Reasons To Protect The Verde

To learn why the Verde River is so important to us, view a pdf of CWAG's monthly column in the Daily Courier, originally published September 2, 2016, but updated in 2022 by adding the eleventh reason. 

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Climate Change & Groundwater Pumping - Big Chino Valley

The upper Verde is increasingly vulnerable to groundwater pumping and increasing aridity.

This 13 page semi-technical article presents evidence that climate change is now reducing the river flow: 

View "Uppermost Verde River – Paradise Lost?" by Ed Wolfe, PhD Geologist. August 2022. 

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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