Granite Creek Upper Verde River Watershed Plan-EA
The Yavapai County Flood Control District (YCFCD) is the Sponsoring Local Organization receiving assistance from the USDA-NRCS to create a PL 83-566 Watershed Plan and Environmental Assessment Document (Plan-EA) for the Granite Creek Upper Verde River Watershed in Yavapai County, Arizona. YCFCD is supported in this effort by the City of Prescott and the Town of Chino Valley.
The watershed is part of the Granite Creek and Verde River system, which is a regionally important watercourse in Central Arizona and a headwaters to the Wild & Scenic Verde River. Certain areas and watercourses in the watershed suffer from periodic flooding, flood-related loss of public safety access/egress, erosion, sedimentation, and water quantity and quality issues resulting in damage to agricultural, rural, and urban infrastructure. The most recent of these events resulted in declarations of a state of emergency by the Yavapai County Board of Supervisors and the Governor of the State of Arizona.
Project Information
Project Information can be found at: the Yavapai County website.
Public Comment
The website indicates that comments will be accepted from November 20 – December 20, 2024. They can be submitted via online form, email, or mail. However, project organizers indicated that comment would be accepted into January of 2025 give that the comment period spanned multiple holidays.
Hassayampa Mineral Withdrawal
In the wake of significant environmental degradation last year related to mining activity in the Hassayampa River Watershed, Prescott National Forest (PNF) and the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) hosted a public meeting in December to discuss a proposal to “To withdraw 3,739 acres of Prescott National Forest lands from location and entry under the US mining laws, and from leasing under the mineral and geothermal leasing laws, for a 20 year term, subject to valid existing rights”.
At the meeting, BLM and Forest Service staff will provide information and answer questions about the proposal. The Forest Service is the lead agency for the National Environmental Protection Act (NEPA) environmental review process for the requested withdrawal, with BLM participating as a cooperating agency. Under federal law, the BLM processes withdrawals on public lands, including National Forest System lands.
Project Information
The DRAFT Environmental Assessment (DRAFT EA), maps, and other documents associated with the proposal are posted online at the PNF website
Public Comment
The availability of the DRAFT EA was advertised via public notice in the Prescott Daily Courier on Sunday, December 15, 2024, beginning the official 30-day comment period for the EA which ends on Tuesday, January 14, 2025.
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