Arizona State and Local Government Documents Collection

The Arizona Legislature established ADEQ as the state’s environmental regulatory agency under the Environmental Quality Act of 1986. Its mission is to protect and enhance public health and the environment in Arizona. The department achieves this mission by administering our state’s environmental laws and delegated federal programs to prevent pollution of our air, water and land, and to clean up such pollution when it occurs. The department’s organizational structure is composed of four programmatic divisions that fulfill our environmental protection mission in the areas of air quality, water quality, waste programs, and tank programs.

The Upper Hassayampa groundwater basin covers approximately 787 square miles within Maricopa and Yavapai counties and is located about 60 miles northwest of Phoenix. The basin is characterized by mid-elevation mountains and had an estimated population of 10,479 in 2000. The largest population center is the Town of Wickenburg. Other communities include Congress and Groom Creek. Low-intensity livestock grazing is the predominant land use and most ranches have limited acreages of irrigated pasture to raise additional animal feed. There are no surface water diversions or impoundments besides small stock ponds within the basin. Groundwater is the only source for public water supply, domestic, irrigation and industrial purposes. Public water supply uses the most groundwater in the basin.

The Aravaipa Canyon groundwater basin covers approximately 517 square miles in southeastern Arizona within Graham and Pinal counties. Largely undeveloped, the remote basin has an estimated 135 residents and includes the community of Klondyke. Low-intensity livestock grazing is the predominant land use although there are some irrigated fields and orchards along Aravaipa Creek. Historic mining activity resulted in the creation of the Klondyke Tailings Water Quality Assurance Revolving Fund site in 1998. Groundwater is used for all domestic purposes within the basin as well as most irrigation and stock water supplies. Irrigation uses the most groundwater in the basin.

As part of the Bureau of Justice Assistance’s Smart Policing Initiative, the Glendale Police Department and the Center for Violence Prevention and Community Safety at Arizona State University found that convenience stores -- particularly Circle K's -- disproportionately contributed to crime and disorder in the city of Glendale. The Center reached out to other law enforcement agencies in the Phoenix metropolitan area, and in June 2011, they authored a report based on 2010 data from four cities: Glendale, Mesa, Phoenix, and Tempe. The 2010 report revealed that, when compared to other convenience stores Circle K’s, were disproportionately responsible for crime and disorder, regardless of their neighborhood or city.

The Arizona Department of Environmental Quality Remedial Projects Section currently manages remediation activities at 35 locations covered by the state's Water Quality Assurance Revolving Fund, 9 sites found on the federal National Priorities List, and 12 others belonging to the U.S. Department of Defense. ADEQ publishes annual updates to this Superfund Site Information handbook.

In our Fiscal Year 2014 Strategic Plan we committed to transforming our operations to become more effective at achieving our mission than we ever were before. Our overarching goals and key strategies have not changed. ADEQ developed five strategies to address challenges we face. These strategies -- deploy lean, increase outreach, leverage e-technology, strengthen core programs and unleash human potential.

The Ak-Chin Indian Community is nestled in the Santa Cruz Valley of Southern Arizona and encompasses 22,160 acres. Situated in northwestern Pinal County, the central portion of the Community is located five miles south of the City of Maricopa. State Route 347 runs north-south through the center of the Community, serving the Community, the City and the County. This roadway provides a direct route to Interstate 10 and the Phoenix metropolitan area, which is just 40 miles to the north. SR 347 also connects to Interstate 8 approximately 15 miles to the south. A second State facility, State Route 238 intersects the north end of the Community and provides east-west access to the City of Maricopa and SR 347 from the western edge of the Community. These regional facilities provide the Community with access to many needed services that are not available within the Community itself, including medical providers, shopping, and schools. Beyond the accessibility and mobility afforded by the State facilities, the Community is relatively landlocked served directly by only three rural roadways: Peters and Nall Road, Farrell Road and Ralston Road.

This planning project is to update the Ak-Chin Indian Communityís Long Range Transportation Plan. The study area is within the Community boundaries and adjacent Community-owned land. The principal focus of the project is to address the most critical transportation planning needs identified by the Community. This will include, but is not limited to a needs analysis and evaluation for all priority roadway corridors within the project area. The major transportation goals of the Community include: (1) Promote an effective, well-planned transportation system of roadways that establishes functional, safe, and durable streets; (2) Create ordinances, policies, or design guidelines that support the transportation plan; and (3) Provide for and encourage use of non-vehicle modes of transportation. The major product of the study will be a final report, which contains the updated Ak-Chin Indian Community Long Range Transportation Plan and a Plan for Improvements. Taking into consideration received input, the updated LRTP will span over five, ten and twenty year periods, incorporating both roadways and the multimodal needs of the Community.

Development of the Ak-Chin Indian Community Long Range Transportation Plan will be conducted according to a cooperative planning process involving stakeholders that include Community departmental staff, public agency staff, elected Community officials, and Community members. Throughout the study, information will be presented to and solicited from stakeholders through interviews and to the general public through public meetings and other means of communication.