A local group of governor appointed community leaders work with the Arizona Department of Water Resources (ADWR) to assure our communities have a voice in state decisions that impact the management of regional water supplies.
The Groundwater Users Advisor Council or GUAC is a six member group of citizens who voluntarily serve six year terms. Established with passage of the Groundwater Management Act of 1980, GUAC is charged with advising ADWR on issues impacting groundwater supplies in the Prescott Active Management Area (PrAMA), a 485 square mile area encompassing the City of Prescott, Towns of Chino Valley and Prescott Valley, Yavapai-Prescott Indian Tribe Reservation, and portions of the Towns of Chino Valley and Dewey-Humboldt and unincorporated areas of Yavapai County.
GUAC members provide advice and make recommendations to ADWR on groundwater management programs and policies, operation of an extensive stream gauging network, and use of the groundwater withdrawal fees paid by municipal water providers operating in the PrAMA.
The council plays a pivotal role in development and implementation of groundwater management plans which chart the path to reaching Safe Yield, a water management goal achieved when the amount of groundwater annually withdrawn in the PrAMA is equal to the amount of water annually recharged. Members also partner with local organizations, such as the Upper Verde River Watershed Protection Coalition (UVRWPC), to support and promote water conservation education and projects in the PrAMA.
GUAC members meet quarterly in open public meetings which are posted according to the Arizona Open Meeting Law. Agendas are also available on the Upper Verde River Watershed Protection Coalition website at www.yavapaiwatersmart.org. To learn more about your water resources visit the ADWR website at www.new.wateraz.gov or the coalition website.
One Response
What has this group done to assure that the excessive, deficit groundwater from Chino Valley, Prescott and Prescott Valley will not suck dry the Upper Verde as all hydrological models predict? Hint: Nothing of consequence.