The Verde Watershed Association, in partnership with the Yavapai
County Water Advisory Committee, The Nature Conservancy, Salt
River Project and the North Central Arizona Watershed
Consortium, held a Joint Forum on the Establishment of a Verde
River Basin Partnership on Saturday, Feb. 11, 2006, in the
Multi-use Theater Complex at 280 Camp Lincoln Road in Camp
Verde. More than 200 stakeholders and members of the public
attended the event. President Bush signed the Northern
Arizona Land Exchange and Verde River Basin Partnership Act of
2005 into law on Nov. 22. Title II of this legislation
authorizes:
…assistance for a collaborative and science-based water
resource planning and management partnership for the Verde River
Basin in the state of Arizona, consisting of members that
represent—
1. Federal, state and local agencies; and
2. economic, environmental, and community water interests in
the Verde River Basin.
The establishment of this Partnership offered agencies and
Verde watershed stakeholders an opportunity to work
collaboratively in the development of a coordinated approach to
water management, and to consider critical questions of water
allocation and environmental protection. Given the projected
growth within the watershed, it is critical that this
collaboration occur now. If we don’t, we could face a future of
intractable water conflicts and the significant degradation of
natural resources and our quality of life. The Verde Watershed
Association and co-sponsoring organizations considered this
forum as a logical next step in the formation of the
Partnership. It provided the participants an opportunity to
begin jointly shaping the membership, scope and structure of the
Partnership. The morning session of the forum reviewed the need,
the intent of the legislation and the tools available to the
Partnership. Speakers were State Representative Tom O’Halleran
and Yavapai County Supervisor Chip Davis. After lunch, a
dialogue among a smaller group of stakeholders was hosted to
discuss the formative steps for the Partnership. Participants in
the afternoon round table were selected by key public agencies
and private organizations involved with the Verde Watershed;
interested members of the public were welcome to observe the
afternoon round table.
