WRRC Webinar Highlights Water Partnerships in Northern Arizona
Red Gap Ranch Headquarters, June 2025
The City of Flagstaff and the Navajo Nation are partnering to find creative solutions to unique water challenges in Northern Arizona. On April 22, WRRC hosted four webinar speakers who discussed innovative projects underway in the region. These speakers were Flagstaff Water Services Director Lee Williams, Flagstaff Water Resources Section Director Erin Young, WSP Senior Project Manager John Leeper, and Bureau of Reclamation Water Resources Planner Valerie Swick.
Flagstaff relies on a combination of surface water from Lake Mary and groundwater from several local wellfields to meet its water needs. However, faced with decreasing reliability of surface water coupled with high population growth, Flagstaff needs additional sources. In 2005, the city purchased Red Gap Ranch, a property east of town, and drilled ten wells into the Coconino Aquifer there. This project has provided a unique opportunity for partnership with the bordering Navajo Nation. Strategic positioning of wells and plans for shared treatment facilities promise to supply clean water to both Flagstaff and the reservation towns of Luepp and Dilkon. The Bureau of Reclamation is supporting this project and has already completed a study that analyzed over 100 proposed ideas.
In this information-packed webinar, the speakers also answered questions on regional hydrology, conservation efforts, wildfire risks, data centers, and more. A recording of the webinar is available on the WRRC website.