JUNE 19, 2025 TOWN COUNCIL, P&Z JOINT STUDY SESSION TOPIC SUMMARY: 

SUSTAINABLE STRATEGIES:  GROWING WATERSMART

The following is a summary of this meeting topic as presented by the Citizens Water Adovacy Group. Watch the video recording of the meeting here.

John Jacobson, PV Development Services Principal Planner, introduced the meeting topic, "Sustainable Strategies: Growing WaterSmart." His presentation focused on "skillful use" of vegetation in the built environment.  Jacobson said that he and the other three staff members making presentations at this meeting, Parks Manager Nick Groblewski, 

Stormwater Coordinator Arriana Odom, and Water Resources Advisor Tracy Lund, along with Council member Janell Kiehl, had attended a three-day Sonoran Institute WaterSmart workshop in Clarkdale in January. He said some of the speakers were "experts in water in this specific area." He spoke very enthusiastically about the value of the workshop. 

Parks Manager Nick Groblewski talked about managing irrigation in the 26 Town Parks, along with any irrigation for Town Trails, MUP’s, and Open Space. 

When we Irrigate 

• Begin irrigation on sports fields in early March 

• Neighborhood/pocket parks, along with trees and shrubs begin receiving irrigation in April. 

• Shut down irrigation to all parks in November 

• Winter irrigation is limited to periods of extended dry weather, in years where we receive average to above average winter precipitation- our standard is to provide no supplemental irrigation from mid November-February 

Our tree management 

Town standard is to grow our canopy every year- always plant more than we remove 

Balance between drought-tolerant and ornamental shade trees 

Aim to plant trees that are moderately to extremely drought-tolerant 

Upon planting, our trees receive regular irrigation cycles for their first 2-3 years.  Once established, we dial down our supplemental irrigation and move towards less frequent cycles- typically during periods of dry, hot weather.

Turf

Nick reviewed the town's turf irrigation:

• Requires less water March-April & September-October 

• Utilize Et water smart irrigation controllers to program our irrigation 

• Determine run times based on several factors: current weather conditions, ET [evapotranspiration] rate, DU, sprinkler type, plant type, plant maturity, site conditions, soil. 

• Central control system- we can shut off/turn on and program irrigation from any internet device. 

• Implemented Hydrometers- these are master valves/flow sensors on our irrigation main lines. 

Practices the town has implemented to reduce water use on turf

• Implementation of smart irrigation control- weather-based, flow sensing valves. 

• Re-design of old, inefficient systems at existing parks. Examples of parks where these projects have taken place: Tonto South, Antelope, Pronghorn, Mountain Valley, Community Center, George Andersen. 

• Replace old equipment with new high-efficiency sprinklers. 

• Artificial turf in select areas. 

Future opportunities for reducing irrigation

• Eliminating select areas of under-utilized turf, installing new xeriscape low-impact landscaping 

• Soil sensors to help regulate water use 

• Continued retrofit and irrigation redesign- Viewpoint, Sunflower, Tonto North 

• Artificial Turf expansion 

• Rainwater/stormwater collection and management 

GREEN INFRASTRUCTURE

Stormwater Coordinator Arriana Odom talked about green infrastructure and stormwater. 

BENEFITS 

Green infrastructure uses natural processes to manage stormwater sustainably, improving water quality and reducing flooding while offering environmental and community benefits.

• Reduces Flooding: Absorbs and slows down stormwater runoff

• Improves Water Quality: Filters pollutants through soil and vegetation

• Recharges Groundwater: Allows water to infiltrate into the ground

• Supports Biodiversity: Provides habitat for plants and animals

• Improves Air Quality: Plants absorb pollutants and produce oxygen 

REQUIREMENTS 

Green infrastructure must meet specific stormwater requirements to effectively manage runoff quantity and quality while complying with environmental regulations. 

• Runoff Volume Control: Must Capture and retain a portion of stormwater onsite 

• Water Quality Treatment: Required to filter or treat pollutants before discharge 

• Infiltration Capacity: Soils and Systems must support adequate infiltration rates 

• Use of Native Vegetation: Required to improve effectiveness and resilience 

IMPLEMENTATION 

Implementing green infrastructure involves planning, design, and community engagement to integrate sustainable stormwater solutions in local landscapes. 

• George Anderson Park: Active green infrastructure site with soil testing completed early June. 

• Local Boy Scout troop assisting with planting efforts 

• Completion anticipated by mid-late July 

• Future Planning: Next project location is being evaluated for implementation. Information will be shared on social media to recruit community volunteers 

• Targeted Problem Areas: Identify and address stormwater issues town-wide with potential green infrastructure solutions 

• Non-Structural Measures: 

• Developed a Residential Green Infrastructure Guidebook for homeowners. 

• Ongoing updates to educational materials to promote awareness and adoption 

CONSERVATION PLAN

Water Advisor Tracy Lund gave a brief presentation on a Conservation Plan. She said she sees her role as trying to get all the things discussed at this meeting documented so they can see what they can do to try to minimize the amount of water they are pumping from their aquifer while also maintaining a high quality of life. 

BENEFITS 

• Reduce water pumped from our aquifer 

• Document and evaluate current conservation practices 

• Glean from a consultant current low- and no-cost conservation alternatives used by other municipalities 

• Evaluate common incentives to determine whether they will work well for the Town—price per acre-foot saved. Tracy said the Town, "would be doing incentives to make sure the water customers are also contributing to the [conservation] vision in Prescott Valley." She said they need to maximize the amount of water saved per acre-foot. 

• Identify additional partners (funding or technical) for any projects. Tracy said they want to make sure what they are doing is mirrored or close to what other municipalities are doing countywide. 

• Build on what the Town has already accomplished in water conservation 

• Communication and collaboration interdepartmentally and with the public. Tracy said they would be soliciting ideas from the public.

IMPLEMENTATION 

Goal: Plan would be formally adopted by Council 

• • Any incentive program implementation would require another rate study (in the next year, Tracy said) to provide a funding structure 

  • Other types of projects would be budgeted and implemented by appropriate departments. For instance, further park irrigation upgrades would be budgeted and implemented by Parks and Rec 

• Firm commitment to communication and leading the way 

              • Within and between Town Departments

              • With customers and constituents

              • Regionally 

John Jacobson presented the meeting summary:

SUSTAINABLE PRACTICE by DESIGN 

SUMMARY: Considerations 

Applied research and best sustainable practices significantly improves environmental conditions, economic stability, ecosystem services, and human health and culture. 

§ Code Modifications?

§ New Development Maximum Densities? 

§ Limit Quantity of Grass?

§ Low Impact Development Applied?

§ Reclaimed Water for Irrigation? Jacobson mentioned cost of the infrastructure as a factor, but he said that despite the cost, this idea is not being dismissed. He also mentioned PFAS in the water as a problem. 

§ Conservation Plan Adoption? How will it be funded? 

Q & A with council and P & Z members

Council member Freund: What about a second water treatment plant so it wouldn't be so far to pipe the reclaimed water to some parts of town?

Tracy Lund: That's been discussed but not recently. That's a sizable capital investment. We do have reclaimed water lines that go to Glassford Hill, Lakeshore, and Stoneridge. We'll be putting one in place that goes along Glassford Hill to Granville. For me, it comes back to PFAS. We need to make sure we're not polluting our aquifer below the areas where we would be using the reclaimed water. 

Freund: Has there been conversation about new construction using catchment cisterns or rain barrels? I'd like to see us distribute rain barrels at cost to the community 

Lund: That's one of the things I'd like to look at as far as incentives are concerned. She did say that if you have more water, you tend to plant more things, and then if it isn't raining for an extended period, you use potable water. 

Jacobson: He brought up that region-wide stormwater capture has been mentioned as part of the new regional cooperation effort and that it would take "years and years" to negotiate and put into place. Tracy pointed out that capturing stormwater on a regional base runs into water rights issues that have not been discussed at length. 

Regional Cooperation:

Town Manager Gilbert Davidson reported that PV met with Chino Valley and Prescott and that they would be convening a meeting of all the town managers next month (he also mentioned the "water techies" coming together in the next few months) and are starting to map out how they get some "low-hanging fruit wins." He said we want to try to have a common conservation plan across the entire Quad Cities and in the county and once we have that in place, we can start looking at other opportunities, whether it's infrastructure or new water sources coming into the region, those types of things that are much bigger in scale. The dollar amounts will be at a huge level.  

Council member Kiehl: She said she had met with a group that suggested collecting rainwater from all the commercial buildings for their own use and maybe having that as part of the code. Tracy said doing that or collecting the water for recharge would be great additions to the code. 

P&Z Vice Chair Erb: He said when he drives around town he sees a lot of people wasting water on their own property. He wondered whether the town had ever talked about putting restrictions on the use of water.

Lund: Things like that might have to come eventually. We are in the midst of a public information campaign on how best to minimize your water bills. We're going at it from a "water bill perspective." 

Erb: Grass should not be allowed. You should have drought-tolerant plants on your property. 

Lund: I've been looking at incentives for turf removal. She said there are also indoor incentives they should be thinking about.