Mohave County, USGS present updated forecast showing growing groundwater deficit in Hualapai Valley Basin

Mohave County and the U.S. Geological Survey presented an updated forecast of the Hualapai Valley Groundwater Basin to the Kingman City Council, reporting more irrigated acres in parts of the basin, a larger total water deficit than the 2019 model predicted, and plans for monitoring wells and recharge basins.

The update matters because the basin supplies municipal water for Kingman and agricultural users across the valley; the model informs decisions about monitoring, recharge projects and long-term supply costs. Mohave County and USGS told the council the basin is being depleted faster than it is recharged and that annual updates to the model will continue.

Scott Holtri, Development Services Director for Mohave County, said the county used drone imagery and USGS methods to re‑estimate irrigated acreage across three subbasins and update consumptive‑use projections. The county observed 1,826 acres in the Southern Gregg Subbasin (an increase of about 1,242 acres from 2019), 6,543 acres in the Hualapai Subbasin (about 5,650 fewer acres than 2019), and 8,131 acres in the Kingman Subbasin (about 6,800 more acres than 2019). Holtri said orchard trees comprised roughly 16,122 acres and vines about 383 acres in the survey area, and that orchard…