CC - Agendas - City Council - WORKSHOP - 10/28/2008

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still undetermined. If we need to contribute more, and find we need to import more water to do it, we have until 2025 to do our part. ALTERNATIVES There are other alternatives to the Big Chino Pipeline to extend our water supply. One is enhanced water conservation measures for new development and another is using or recharging more rainfall. What if Prescott implemented strong water conservation measures for new developments such as those now being discussed in Chino Valley? Such measures state that city -provided potable water can only be used for exterior landscaping if there is an equal amount of recharge provided. Under such a provision, developers could build more than twice the number of homes on the same amount of available water. The available 1840 acre-feet and the applied -for additional 1672 acre-feet could provide for more than 34 years' water allocations -- possibly taking us to a total population of nearly 100,000. Even less strict measures could produce additional years of new growth. It is unclear how much new usable water could be obtained through a program of use or recharge of rainfall. It is also unclear whether a large-scale rainwater catchment program is economically feasible. The Upper Verde Watershed Protection Coalition has committed to -examining this augmentation opportunity to determine how it may fit into our future water portfolio. The pipeline has been termed a "bridge" to get Prescott and Prescott Valley to a long-term sustainable water supply. Such a supply (possibly from the Colorado River, as is now being considered by a Bureau of Reclamation study) will not be available soon. But if we can get to 2025 without Big Chino water, then we may be able to skip the Big Chino "bridge" and go directly to a sustainable Tong -term supply. We need to wait for the study results (expected in about three years) which will help us define what we need for a sustainable water budget. CWAG believes these and other options should be considered as alternatives to the Big Chino pipeline. According to a Central Arizona Partnership report, Prescott Valley has enough water to grow until 2031. Considering the growth capability of both communities and the financial, legal and environmental issues surrounding the pipeline, CWAG believes it would be prudent to resolve these issues before committing to the Big Chino project. Specifically, the communities would have time to complete a Habitat Conservation Plan, which would resolve the legal and environmental challenges.