Send a letter to Steve Owens and the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality

November 21, 2009 Subject: Please protect the Verde River I am writing as one of a growing number of citizens concerned about the Prescott and Prescott Valley Big Chino Water Ranch pipeline project, as well as the Chino Valley/Chino Grande LLC pipeline project. I request that you provide the public sufficient notice of the Arizona Pollution Discharge Elimination System (AZPDES) general construction permit applications by the cities or their contractors for the project. I also request public hearings on the permit application and that your agency work with the cities to do a formal consultation with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Environmental Protection Agency to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS). The first 24 miles of the Verde River rely almost entirely on the Big Chino aquifer for stream flow during the driest times of year. This upper Verde River segment provides some of the best habitat for native fish recovery and is crucial to Arizona's Bald Eagle. The river also provides essential irrigation and drinking water to many communities in central Arizona. It contains Arizona's only section of river to currently carry the national Wild and Scenic River designation, and has long been a popular destination for recreational opportunities like boating, hiking, fishing and bird-watching, which have generated stable economic benefits for local communities. The proposed pipeline project(s) will threaten the upper segment of the river by drawing water from the Big Chino aquifer, eventually causing reductions in flow. This reduction will be felt throughout the Verde. If the pumping is not mitigated, the upper Verde River will at some point dry up during some parts of the year. Formal consultation and an EIS are needed to determine the impacts of the action, evaluate a range of alternatives including "no action," and clearly and comprehensively identify necessary steps to offset the impacts posed to upper Verde River flows and associated riparian habitat by each alternative. The EIS must address not only the impacts to species located on the lands that the pipeline will cross, but also the species that rely on the flows of the Verde River and its associated riparian areas. I implore the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality to work with the cities, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to prepare the EIS and to notify the public of all actions. A public hearing on the matter would help address the concerns of the many citizens in the Verde Watershed. Please do your utmost to secure the continued health of the Verde River. Sincerely, We will add your signature from the information you provide.		First Name* Last Name* Email* Street* Street 2 City* State/Province* Select a state Alabama Alaska American Samoa Arizona Arkansas California Colorado Connecticut Delaware D.C. Florida Georgia Guam Hawaii Idaho Illinois Indiana Iowa Kansas Kentucky Louisiana Maine Maryland Massachusetts Michigan Minnesota Mississippi Missouri Montana Nebraska Nevada New Hampshire New Jersey New Mexico New York North Carolina North Dakota Northern Mariana Islands Ohio Oklahoma Oregon Pennsylvania Puerto Rico Rhode Island South Carolina South Dakota Tennessee Texas Utah Vermont Virgin Islands Virginia Washington West Virginia Wisconsin Wyoming Armed Forces (the) Americas Armed Forces Europe Armed Forces Pacific Alberta British Columbia Manitoba Newfoundland New Brunswick Nova Scotia Northwest Territories Nunavut Ontario Prince Edward Island Quebec Saskatchewan Yukon Territory Other Zip/Postal Code* Send an Email