Arizona water rights litigation is affecting the Verde Valley, and the Verde Village Community Connection is seeking a solution regarding a 2028 deadline that will potentially interfere with the future water replenishment for the three-acre Verde Village Pond located in Verde Village Unit 4.
The pond is privately owned by the Verde Village Property Owners Association, a 501(c)(4) nonprofit doing business as the VVCC. The VVCC will lose its water rights to the pond by 2028, which VVCC leadership stated necessitated a decision on the pond’s fate to prevent it from drying up and affecting local waterfowl and wildlife.
The pond, a landmark in the Verde Villages, was originally established during the Unit 4 subdivision’s development as an attraction and as a source of water for fire suppression.
While the Verde Valley Fire District and Cottonwood Fire Department fire trucks can now draw water from municipal hydrants, the 12-foot-deep pond remains a wildlife habitat and recreational spot enjoyed by fishermen, picnickers and birders.
The pond is currently maintained by having Verde River water pumped in to offset losses to evaporation, which is allowed under a permit granted in the 1970s through the Cottonwood Ditch Association, which holds the water rights.
The Cottonwood Ditch Association’s claimed priority date for its surface water rights to the Verde River is Dec. 10, 1877. The 1869 diversion originally was opposite Pecks Lake at the Old Government Dam and the ditch extended through ranches on the west side of the Verde River and what is now the city of Cottonwood and the unincorporated area of Bridgeport. The Cottonwood Ditch Association maintains the eight-mile-long irrigation ditch, which provides irrigation water to 843.5 acres of farms, ranches and the pond. Each acre is entitled to a pro rata share of the 8,000 acre-feet annually diverted from the Verde River.
The Cottonwood Ditch Association informed the VVCC in June 2022 that it would no longer supply water for non-agricultural uses effective three years from the notice date and formalized the notice in January 2023.
At the VVCC’s request, a three-year extension was granted in January 2024, setting a final deadline for water cessation in 2028. The Cottonwood Ditch Association is governed by a board consisting of President and Ditch Boss Andy Groseta, Vice President David Mongini, Secretary and Treasurer Bill Wade and board members Bob DeGeer, Judd Wasden and Mary Beth Groseta.
The pond’s future must be decided by VVPOA members. Past and current volunteer board members have started conversations about what to do with the pond and researched the issues, and are now are seeking resources, support and ideas from members of the community to make a decision and fund a possible solution.
For more information about the Ditch Association, visit cottonwoodditch.com
