I haven’t lived in the southwest for nearly 15 years. When I had lived in Southern California, the drought conditions were not nearly as bad as they are now. Rachael and I learned quite a lot about the struggle the southwest is having with water when we spent our first winter in Prescott, AZ this past December through March.
Prescott, Prescott Valley and Chino Valley are all clamoring to round up the scarce water commodity to sustain the increasing growth in the area. Unfortunately, the area doesn’t have the water to provide. Since learning of the localized issue of central Arizona and the plight of the Verde River, other similar stories have cropped up and caught the media’s attention. Las Vegas is suing over water rights to another small northwest Arizona town. It’s amazing how much we, in the Midwest, take our abundant water for granted.
The Big Chino Aquifer is a large underground water basin that is known to be the headwaters of the Verde River and it’s main source of waterflow. The Verde River is designated as Arizona’s only Wild & Scenic River. It is also home to the desert variety of Bald Eagle, which was recently reinstated as an endangered species. The 3 cities just south of the area near Paulden, Az are doing all they can to drain that aquifer for sole purpose of population growth. The cost, however is far greater than they care to admit. By draining the aquifer, you dry up a beautiful river. I’ve hiked, rafted and flown over this river. I’ve seen only some of the wildlife it has to offer. This river cannot be jeopardized for the sake of old folks needing a place to retire and play golf.
I could ramble, but there are people out there devoted to saving this river. The Center for Biological Diversity, for one. I urge you, even though you may live elsewhere, to do what you can - anything - to assist in raising awareness about the threat to this river.
