The Chino Grande Agreement

On May 10, 2007 the Town of Chino Valley entered into a unique public-private partnership with Chino Grande Limited Liability Company (LLC) to assure a sustainable water supply and achieve safe yield for future residents. This creative solution has significant potential to serve as a road map for sustainable water planning for many of Arizona’s communities as the economic and environmental benefits are realized.

The design will allow historically farmed land in the Big Chino Sub-Basin to return to its original natural state and be perpetually protected as open space, bringing the natural biological processes of the desert back into equilibrium.

Project Details
This project will permanently preclude groundwater pumping on up to 1,216 acres of historically irrigated lands, and a reduced quantity of water will be withdrawn from a municipal well field. Several thousand additional acres will be placed into permanent conservation easement, preserving the natural landscape and ranching tradition of the Big Chino. Please take the time to view the Chino Grande Agreement (PDF).

In October 2007, the Arizona Department of Water Resources granted the Town of Chino Valley's request to transport an annual total of 2,893.2 acre-feet of water from the Big Chino sub-basin into the Prescott Active Management Area based on Housing Industry Association lands owned by Chino Grande LLC and the Town.

The Chino Valley Water Resource Department will continue to work diligently to make this alternative water supply available to Chino Valley residents, reducing the town's impact on the groundwater resources of the Prescott Active Management Area.