What about the 13,000 domestic (family) wells in the Prescott AMA?  Although municipal wells pump three-quarters of our vanishing groundwater, domestic wells that are “exempt” from reporting have been wrongly blamed as unmanaged and responsible for the overdraft.

In this presentation, CWAG Executive Committee member Gary Beverly, a well owner himself, discussed water quality, testing, maintenance and more. He described the impacts to the aquifer from domestic “exempt” wells, revealed CWAG studies of how municipal pumping has degraded hundreds of family wells, and offered solutions to reduce water use and ensure acceptable water quality.

Many domestic wells on the margins of the AMA are now failing, causing devastating impacts on families ranging from an expensive new well to loss of a large portion of the value of their home. CWAG believes that small domestic wells are now suffering the consequences of decades of overdraft.