Prescott subcommittee reviews 2024 baseline supplies, seeks more data on commercial demand and precipitation

Prescott City’s water resources staff on Sept. 2 updated the City Council subcommittee on a draft baseline of water supplies for 2024 and on early public outreach for the long-term water management plan.

The presentation, led by Leslie Grazer, water resource project manager, reported that groundwater accounted for the majority of 2024 withdrawals while recovered surface water and recovered effluent each comprised roughly 16% of the city’s legal supply classification. Grazer said the 10-year average withdrawal used for planning is 6,984 acre-feet.

The baseline is intended as the foundation for choices on replenishment, recharge and demand-management strategies. “We like to say that this baseline work is basically the foundation of the house,” Grazer told the subcommittee. She said the work was prepared with consultant Herb Dishlep and that much of the underlying data was taken from the Arizona Department of Water Resources dashboard and the city’s own metering records.

Why it matters: Prescott’s water portfolio includes groundwater…