Mark Holmes, water resource consultant, described how improved regional planning and cooperation will help solve water problems in the Prescott Active Management Area (PrAMA) and in the Big Chino Valley.

Mark Holmes is a Registered Geologist with long experience in municipal water management in Chino Valley and cities in the Maricopa Valley. He describeed why we need regional management, who should participate, and how we can make it happen. He reviewed some successes and failures other areas have experienced.

Arizona groundwater management has not been successful in the Prescott AMA, named by the Arizona Department of Water Resources (ADWR) as the worst performing in the state. Groundwater overdrafts continue to reduce groundwater levels, Del Rio Springs is nearly dry, the base flow of the Verde River is declining, and domestic wells are failing on the edges of the aquifer. Although the cities in the AMA share a common water resource, they continue to compete for more water to facilitate growth. Instead, cities and county should begin to work together on regional water planning.