About Us

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The Upper Verde River Watershed Protection Coalition (UVRWPC) is a joint effort between the City of Prescott, Town of Chino Valley, Town of Prescott Valley, Yavapai County and the Yavapai-Prescott Indian Tribe. 

Organized in 2007, the coalition is committed to protection of the Upper Verde River base flow while balancing the reasonable water needs of residents who live and businesses that operate within the watershed boundaries.  Coalition members integrate science-based planning to forward responsible utilization of water resources, and preserve the vitality, health and future flows of the Upper Verde River by:      

• Identifying and promoting effective conservation practices for all water users.     
• Implementing a watershed restoration and management plan that results in healthy ecosystems while optimizing water resources.      
• Efficiently managing projects that lead to the realization of safe yield.     
• Adoption of Best Management Practices that are based on sound research and unbiased scientific information.     
• Operating in an environment that fosters public participation, and open and honest dialog.      

UVRWPC is governed by a five-member executive board of elected officials representing each partner, and charged with setting policy for and monitoring progress of the coalition. A Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) is the project-driven arm taking direction from and making recommendations to the board. It is comprised of technical and scientific personnel from each jurisdiction in the partnership. The Executive Board and TAC convene monthly in open meetings with times, locations and agendas posted on this website.  

An intergovernmental agreement between all partners established the parameters under which the coalition operates. Recognizing that adequate water resources are critical to the quality of life and economic well-being of residents living in the Upper Verde River Watershed area, the coalition was formed to create a forum for regional cooperative action. Its intention is to achieve a working equilibrium between water needs and the necessity to protect Upper Verde River water resources.     

Established with passage of the 1980 Groundwater Management Act (GMA), the Prescott Active Management Area (PrAMA) is one of five areas in the State of Arizona that were identified as being heavily reliant on groundwater use to support residential and economic growth.    A 485-square-mile area in central Yavapai County, the PrAMA encompasses the City of Prescott, Town of Prescott Valley, Yavapai-Prescott Indian Tribe, portions of the Towns of Dewey-Humboldt and Chino Valley, and unincorporated areas of Yavapai County.    The Arizona Department of Water Resources (ADWR) is the regulatory authority governing management of groundwater supplies in the PrAMA. Personnel work with municipalities and local leaders through the Groundwater Users Advisory Council (GUAC) to collaboratively make decisions on the development and implementation of groundwater management plans.    Reaching Safe Yield by 2025 is the PrAMA water management goal. Safe Yield is achieved when the amount of groundwater annually withdrawn is equal to the amount of water annually recharged. In 1999, ADWR issued a groundwater mining declaration (out of safe yield) for the PrAMA.    ADWR collects and analyzes hydrologic data within the PrAMA to evaluate groundwater conditions and determine progress toward reaching Safe Yield.  Large water users, such as municipal providers, submit annual water use reports ADWR. Personnel, in partnership with the Yavapai County Flood Control District and U.S. Geologic Survey, manage an extensive stream gauging network. The state agency also relies on a comprehensive groundwater monitoring network and computer modeling program to collect information.    Most of the groundwater currently pumped in the PrAMA is for municipal use. The shift from predominantly agriculture to predominantly municipal began with passage of the 1980 Groundwater Management Act.  According to the hydrologic data, groundwater use in 1985 was about 25,000 acre/feet when the PrAMA population was around 40,000. By 2017, annual groundwater use had declined to about 22,500 acre/feet with a population of about 130,000, and the PrAMA is trending toward Safe Yield.    For more information visit the ADWR website at www.new.azwater.gov or the Upper Verde River Watershed Protection Coalition website at www.yavapaiwatersmart.org.