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The City of Flagstaff (population ~80,000) has spent over a century evaluating, developing, and managing imported and local water supplies and planning for future needs. In this WRRC Water Webinar, the City’s water team will articulate their work to balance water resiliency and reliability in the face of wildfire risk, aging infrastructure, and supporting five million tourists annually, and how the City is looking at available supply alternatives to bolster Flagstaff’s water portfolio.
Having participated in decades of investigations and water rights negotiations, the City of Flagstaff has most recently signed the Northern Arizona Indian Water Rights Settlement Agreement and engaged the Bureau of Reclamation (Reclamation) and the Navajo Nation to investigate a Regional Water Supply Project utilizing groundwater from the City’s Red Gap Ranch. In 2025, Reclamation facilitated a group of City and Navajo Nation specialists with decades of water resource planning experience. Flagstaff and the Navajo Nation have requested that Reclamation conduct an appraisal-level study to compare supply alternatives based on costs, resiliency, and reliability. During their presentation, the team will share how the appraisal would allow Flagstaff, Navajo Nation, and other stakeholders to evaluate water supply options and other alternatives.
Erin Young is the Water Resources Section Director for the City of Flagstaff. She has 13 years in water management with the City of Flagstaff and 12 years working in groundwater consulting. Her expertise is in water use and efficiency, water resources management and associated regulatory frameworks. Young is in her 9th year as a board member, as a now past-president, of WateReuse Arizona, is the president of the Arizona Hydrological Society's Flagstaff Chapter, and is on the board of the AHS Foundation. She has a bachelor's degree in geology from Arizona State University, a master's degree in geology from Northern Arizona University, and is a registered geologist in Arizona.
Lee Williams is the Water Services Director for the City of Flagstaff. With over 13 years of experience in water services, he previously served as the Water Operations Section Director and has held various roles, including Operations Supervisor and Plant Operator in the public sector. He has a bachelor's degree in chemistry and mathematics and is a certified operator in water treatment, distribution, and wastewater management. Lee is an alumnus of Northern Arizona University.
Kevin Black retired with 38 years of service from the Bureau of Reclamation Phoenix Area Office as the Chief Program Development Division and established a federal water resource planning consulting service. His career spans four decades working with Tribal and non-Tribal stakeholders throughout Arizona engaged in federal water development planning. Black served as project manager for the Navajo Generating Station Post-2019 project and technical program manager in the Bureau of Reclamation's Native American Affairs Office. He has a bachelor's degree in business management from the University of Phoenix, a master's degree in public administration government and policy from Grand Canyon University, and is a certified project manager.