PEARCE, Ariz. (KGUN) — The groundwater in the Willcox Basin is under an Active Management Agreement because of the number of wells drying up and water concerns in the area. Now, some residents are working to help those who are at risk of running out of water.
"Water is by far the most important issue to people living in Cochise County," said President for People for the Playa Water Resources Inc. Lou Manuta.
That's because while water may be flowing now, some may see their water unexpectedly shut off because the well keeping the water flowing dries up, which is happening all over Cochise County.
"The wells are between 800 and 1,000 feet now is pretty normal. Those wells are well over $50,000, and not everybody has that just sitting around," Manuta said.
This is why Manuta and Joanna Seeley worked to create People for the Playa Water Resources Inc.
"Once we get our 501(c)(3) status, we'll be able to apply for grants, and that money can come to us, and we can use that for additional programming," Manuta said. "We want people to understand the importance of the situation that we're in and offer solutions. And we also want to raise money to help people replace their well, deepen their wells," Manuta said.
He says they're waiting for the federal government to approve their application.
In the meantime, Seeley says education is key.
"The biggest thing is to get the word out there and present education to the people that just don't know. And from my experience and Lou's experience, there's a lot of people that just don't know," she said.
They say there's a USDA grant available to cover the costs of digging deeper wells, which they can help homeowners find and see if they qualify for.
"A person isn't eligible for one grant; they might be eligible for another one, and so we will be researching to find something that will help them," Seeley said.
The group's first education event is their water resource fair this Saturday at the Sunsites Community Center, 1216 Treasure Rd, Pearce, Ariz.
Manuta says the nonprofit is just a band-aid until a solution is found to conserve groundwater.
"Till we figure out what the long term solution is, then I think we would have had a very, very beneficial nonprofit organization water," Manuta said.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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Alexis Ramanjulu is a reporter in Cochise County for KGUN 9. She began her journalism career reporting for the Herald/Review in Sierra Vista, which she also calls home. Share your story ideas with Alexis by emailing alexis.ramanjulu@kgun9.com or by connecting on Facebook.
