Leaders discuss water rights

Beginning with its namesake, the Verde Valley is defined by water.

With its lush green vegetation and riparian habitats, farms, vineyards and ample recreational activities, the region is a true oasis in a state otherwise known for its deserts and semiarid climate.

The region is part of a larger system that is affected by long-term drought despite this year’s bountiful monsoon, which improved short-term drought conditions.

According to a Sept. 30 report by drought.gov, “Nearly 81% of the state now has abnormally dry conditions or moderate drought.”

While the state continues to experience cuts to its water supply because of low flow levels in the Colorado River, climate scientists and local leaders are reaching out to smaller communities to raise awareness about the state of additional watersheds, including the Verde.

In Camp Verde, two events focused on raising awareness: The General Stream Adjudication presentation and the State of the Verde Watershed Conference.

General Stream Adjudication

On Sept. 19, the Town of Camp Verde and the Yavapai-Apache Nation hosted a public service presentation “Arizona’s General Stream Adjudication: What is Happening in the Verde?” at the Camp Verde High School Auditorium.

More than 300 people attended the event, which focused on educating the public about water rights and the Gila River Adjudication.

“I’m so pleased at the turnout,” said Camp Verde Mayor Dee Jenkins, as she introduced the event’s guest speakers, which included water rights attorneys Steve Wene and Susan B. Montgomery.

Joe Holland, a geographic systems analyst with the Adjudication Division of the Arizona Department of Water Resources was also present.

Wene discussed surface water and groundwater rights and drew attention to the “call” system, which allocates rights to individuals based on the order of their claims.

He pointed out that when there is insufficient water in the Verde River system and there is a call downstream, upstream users will not be able to have their water needs met, which he described as the biggest issue facing users.

Montgomery provided a detailed explanation of the Gila River Adjudication and its relevance to the Verde River.

“The reason we call it the Gila River Adjudication is because of this grand idea of the General Stream Adjudication, which is to say, we need to define all of the surface water and appropriable rights and all of the rights that drain to the Gila River,” she said. “So when you hear that we’re in the ‘Gila River Adjudication’ it’s because we’re defining all the Gila River and its sources, and the Verde River is one of its sources.”

Montgomery likened working on the General Stream Adjudication — which dates back to the 1970s — and the subsequent Verde Watershed Adjudication to “eating an elephant.”

“How do you eat an elephant? Well, one bite at a time,” she said. “Well, in this case it’s going to be one sub-watershed at a time.”

Montgomery highlighted the Verde’s five sub-watersheds, which include the Big Chino, Little Chino, Lower Verde Valley, Sycamore Canyon and Verde Canyon.

Of the five watersheds, Montgomery said the Lower Verde Valley and Sycamore Canyon’s de minimis or small usage claimants are currently facing deadlines for a streamlined adjudication process.

Holland provided information for claimants regarding deadlines and paperwork and provided links to websites for additional information relating to the adjudication process.

All three speakers participated in an hour-long Q&A session following their presentations.

The presentation’s accompanying slide show concluded with a quote from circa 1937 by Tribal Elder Mary Sine: “As long as the river flows, life will be good.”

2022 State of the Verde Watershed

Beginning with a series of field trips to local river sites on Sept. 26 and culminating with a two-day conference on Sept. 27 and 28 at Cliff Castle Casino, the 2022 State of the Verde Watershed drew more than 200 professionals who were eager to learn more about the region’s water-related challenges, management projects and solutions.

The conference featured speakers from the Town of Camp Verde, the city of Cottonwood, the Yavapai-Apache Nation, Friends of the Verde River, the Nature Conservancy, the National Forest Foundation, the University of Arizona and more.

“In Arizona, we all know the value of a natural water source cannot be overstated,” said the Nina Mason Pulliam Charitable Trust’s Chairwoman and Trustee Carol P. Schilling.

“As we know, the water situation has been critical for some time; now more and more people are beginning to pay attention to the issue, as the drought continues in the West. Stewardship over our water resources falls upon all of us now and into the future. Now is the time for us to think about survival and how we can cooperate to live in this land that we love.”

Following the keynote speakers, a series of breakout sessions took place to focus on a variety of issues, including climate, groundwater management, solutions for Verde River Ecosystems, rain catchment projects and more.

All attendees received a copy of the 2022 Verde River Watershed Report Card, which “brings awareness about the health of the Verde River system across the categories of water, habitat and community.”

“In 2020, the watershed earned an overall score of C+,” the report stated. “For this limited update, we updated scores for river baseflow, groundwater best management practices and [community and digital] engagement.”

The report indicated that in general, less water is flowing through the Verde and its tributaries each year.

Additionally, individual city and town scores were grim: Camp Verde and Cottonwood received a D for “poor” while Sedona received a C for “moderate” and Paulden received an F for “very poor.”

“Since the 2020 WRC, scores have worsened for the Upper Verde reach and the Wild and Scenic reach,” the report stated.

Despite worsening scores, speakers emphasized potential solutions, including improving upland habi-tats to control erosion, implementing water quality monitoring programs and improving community scores through affordable housing initiatives.

“Friends of the Verde River designed this conference to focus on solutions as we look toward the future of the Verde River Watershed,” said Friends of the Verde River Events & Outreach Manager Melanie Miles. “We were happy to bring together so many hard-working professionals, all with the collective goal to conserve the Verde River Watershed.”