The City of Prescott was awarded funding to conduct this corridor study through the Planning Assistance for Rural Areas program administered by the Arizona Department of Transportation. The City of Prescott, with support from ADOT, has worked with other local agencies in the region to conduct this study to evaluate and recommend a corridor alignment for the Sundog Connector located in Yavapai County, Arizona. The western corridor terminus is located in the City of Prescott and the eastern terminus is located in the Town of Prescott Valley. The corridor study area is defined as the area between State Route (SR) 69 and Prescott Lakes Parkway. The focus of the study was to document the current and future conditions through a review of all relevant planning studies, land use designation, development plans, needs assessments, and stakeholder input. Using the documented purpose and need for the corridor, the study team has identified, evaluated and recommended a preferred corridor for the planned roadway including alignment, typical sections, recommended right-of-way, and utilities and drainage recommendations.

The Stoneridge subdivision is a growing rural community with approximately 5,000 residents. The Prescott Valley Water Company (Prescott Valley, AZ) provides drinking water for residents in this area. A resident in the community indicated that there is a “paint thinner” type odor coming from the tap water. The Prescott Valley Water Company sampled the water due to request of the resident. On July 27, 2004, the resident called the Arizona Department of Health Services to express his/her concern regarding the analytical results of benzene in tap water samples collected from faucets inside the house. As a result, the Arizona Department of Health Services completed a health consultation to evaluate if benzene and other volatile organic compounds in the water supplied by the Prescott Valley Water Company pose any adverse health effects.