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.

In pursuing its mandated mission to characterize groundwater quality in the state, the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality has collected samples from 1,477 sites over a 15-year period between 1995 and 2009. The sample sites consisted mainly of domestic, stock, irrigation and municipal wells and, to a lesser extent, springs used predominantly for watering stock and wildlife. Sampling activity was conducted within 35 of the state’s 51 officially designated groundwater basins and covered much of Arizona with the exception of Native American tribal lands. The data provide comprehensive and reliable information on the occurrence and concentrations of groundwater contaminants. This is critical knowledge for the estimated 100,000 private domestic wells in the state whose owners represent about 5 percent of Arizona’s population.

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.