Learn
First published in Cottonwood Journal Extra on 7-26-23.
Cities are founded on rivers. Think of Paris and the Seine; London and the Thames; and Rome and the Tiber. There is nothing more essential to the success of a city than access to clean water.
Phoenix and its pre-historic settlements were built where the Gila, Salt, and Verde Rivers came together, providing a reliable source of water for the growing desert city. The canals in Phoenix were built, in many cases, on the same courses as the prehistoric canals.
People have lived in the Verde Valley for millennia. Imagine walking into the verdant oasis of this well-watered land from the desert. The river provided everything – food, fuel, fiber, building supplies, and water.
While people have always settled by rivers, people have not always been kind to rivers. Rivers have been polluted, straightened, concreted, turned into sewers, and drained. The Verde is fortunate that, after the mining era ended, no major polluting industries were built here.
In a way, the Verde has been protected by virtue of being a drinking water source for the Phoenix metro area. The downstream users, Salt River Project and City of Phoenix, have a stake in the health of this river. The river has some powerful friends.
But the Verde River is at risk of drying up. We have documented a steady downward trend in the summertime flows since 1990. We measure the river’s flow in June, after winter rains and spring snowmelt but before the summer monsoons. At this time of the year, the river is dependent on groundwater for its base flow. It is alarming how much the flow has declined!
But there are things you can do to help. This organization exists, in fact, because of you. And now, we have made it easier for you to self-certify your home as River Friendly on our website. Once you are certified, we’ll give you an attractive sign so your neighbors will know that you live a River Friendly life.
River Friendly Living & Verde River Exchange
The River Friendly Living certification was launched in 2021, after two years of development. We wanted to recognize and reward everyone for doing the right thing for the Verde River. This allowed us to expand two programs that we had been offering only to local small businesses, the Verde River Exchange and Verde Conservation Partners. The River Friendly program is open to homes, businesses, agriculture, and developments.
The Verde River Exchange (VRE) began saving water for the river in 2016 as a market-based, voluntary program. It was developed collaboratively by three groups, with the help of a local advisory committee. Friends has managed the program since its inception, partnering with The Nature Conservancy and a third-party verifier. This innovative program has been recognized as a success nationwide.
Since 2016, the VRE has successfully kept over 40 million gallons of water flowing in the river. Each year, holders of surface water rights in the Verde River are offered contracts to reduce their water use in exchange for payment. The water offset credits thus generated are then sold to groundwater users who are offsetting their water use.
In 2021 we began offering homeowners who became certified as River Friendly the opportunity to purchase water offset credits through the Exchange. Previously, offset credits were only available to businesses. I am proud to say that I am one of the homeowners who is offsetting my water use in this way.
The Verde Conservation Partners. Friends has been offering local businesses a way to raise funds for river conservation since 2014. Each year, thanks to local businesses, Friends is able to give out $10,000 in small grants for river conservation projects.
Since 2014, businesses have funded 25 river conservation projects, with 13 of those grants awarded in the past two years. Last year, we opened the grants to homeowners for the first time. We added sustainability requirements, with a focus on water conservation. We are inspiring people and businesses to take positive actions on behalf of the river.
Over the last two years, River Friendly Living has certified 27 homes, 15 businesses, 3 farms, and 2 developments. In addition, we completed two projects that are designed to capture stormwater and allow it to sink into the ground, replenishing the aquifer and supporting river flows. Those are the Rio Verde Plaza in Camp Verde and Mingus Union High School in Cottonwood.
Going forward, we have big plans to expand River Friendly Living throughout the Verde Valley and beyond. You are an important part of those plans. We cannot imagine a world without a healthy, flowing Verde River, and I know you can’t either. I hope you will join your friends and neighbors in becoming River Friendly certified.
You can learn more about River Friendly Living at our website. A vibrant Verde starts with you!
Explore the Verde with LightHawk Aviana Productions
Take a ride in a LightHawk plane and soar over this precious, threatened Southwestern river. Learn a bit about why protecting the Verde River is so important in this amazing short film by Esther Duke/LightHawk Aviana Productions, made possible by LightHawk, the Nina Mason Pulliam Charitable Trust, the Nature Conservancy, and Friends of the Verde River.
