Mark Holmes, water adviser for the Town of Chino Valley, and Gary Beverly, president of the Citizens Water Advocacy Group (CWAG), told the Prescott City Council on May 27, 2025, that the Prescott Active Management Area is in long‑term groundwater overdraft and urged formation of a regional authority or IGA and a steering committee to plan capital projects and shared governance.

“I’m the bearer of bad news,” Gary Beverly told the council, summarizing long‑term monitoring that shows sustained overdraft and declining flows into Del Rio Springs and the Upper Verde River. He said ADWR data through 2019 show accumulated overdraft of roughly 600,000 acre‑feet and an annual overdraft near 21,000 acre‑feet then; he also reported that more recent ADWR data have not been published to the group.

Holmes and Beverly argued that existing state Active Management Area rules and multiple ad hoc organizations have not produced a sustained regional solution for safe yield, and that the region needs a new, long‑term governance body that can plan, finance and deliver large capital recharge and reuse projects. Holmes described national case studies where regional authorities and shared infrastructure (recharge districts, imported or recycled water and large interceptors) produced durable groundwater management.

The presenters highlighted several on‑the‑ground impacts: Del Rio Springs’ flow has sharply declined (ADWR modeling projects the spring could go dry in 2025), more than 500 domestic wells on the AMA’s margins are reportedly failing and about 14,000 domestic wells exist in the AMA, and the Verde River base flows have fallen markedly, the presenters said. Beverly added that the longer the region waits, the more difficult and costly solutions will be.

Both presenters recommended next steps including creating an IGA or steering committee composed of interested jurisdictions and stakeholders, hiring a neutral facilitator and staff with water expertise, and conducting a prioritized economic and technical analysis to identify capital projects for recharge, recycled water or stormwater capture. The Town of Chino Valley offered to contribute in‑kind support and seed resources toward facilitator recruitment and committee staffing.

Council members responded with broad support. Councilwoman Ferworth said the city should participate; Councilman Moore and others called for a regional approach. After discussion, Mayor Goode summarized the council’s position as consensus to engage: the mayor said the city would ask staff to work with Chino Valley and other jurisdictions to explore the proposed IGA and steering‑committee approach.

The meeting did not establish a formal regional authority or approve funding; instead, the council expressed unanimous support to begin exploratory intergovernmental discussions. Council members emphasized that any new organization would need measurable deliverables, a clear governance structure, and a plan for capital financing.

Discussion versus direction versus decision: the presentation led to a council direction to staff to engage with Chino Valley on creation of an IGA and steering committee (exploratory), but no formal ordinance, binding intergovernmental agreement, or capital commitment was authorized at the meeting.

Key technical and contextual details provided to the council included:

- Historic and modelled overdraft: presenters cited ADWR graphs showing accumulated overdraft on the order of hundreds of thousands of acre‑feet and annual overdraft measured in the tens of thousands of acre‑feet (ADWR data through 2019 cited).

- Surface‑water impacts: Del Rio Springs and the Verde River base flow have declined substantially; Del Rio Springs was shown in ADWR model output to be at risk of drying within the next few years.

- Domestic well failures: presenters identified more than 500 properties at the margins of the aquifer with failing wells and reported ADWR estimates of roughly 14,000 domestic wells in the AMA.

- Case studies: presenters described the Los Angeles Water Replenishment District and a multijurisdiction wastewater and reuse partnership in the Phoenix area as examples of institutional structures and scale of capital investment that could be emulated.

Next steps offered by presenters and endorsed by council members include forming a steering committee under an IGA, recruiting a professional facilitator, performing a regional technical and economic analysis to prioritize capital projects (recharge, recycled water, stormwater capture), and identifying funding strategies. The town of Chino Valley offered initial in‑kind support for staffing and facilitator recruitment.

Public commenters urged urgency. Shirley Hannah asked council members to ensure sufficient water resources for firefighting and emergency response as part of regional planning. Another commenter, Howard Mechanic, recommended creation of a replenishment district under state law and stressed the need for a unified public vote to establish ongoing governance and funding.

The council concluded the item by directing city staff to engage with Chino Valley and other regional partners on exploratory work toward an IGA and steering committee. Staff will report back to the council with findings and proposed next steps; no funding or legally binding commitment was approved at the May 27 study session.