9/2 The Governor’s Regulatory Review Council approved the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality’s to grant Outstanding Arizona Waters status to the Upper Verde River and portions of Sycamore Canyon. The decision moves forward to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for final review. If approved, ADEQ will finish the final rule making steps before sending it back to the EPA for final federal review and approval. Once fully approved, nearly 36-miles of the Upper Verde River, from the Granite Creek confluence downstream to Sycamore Creek, and nearly 12-miles of Sycamore Creek from Cedar Creek to its confluence with the Verde River will be protected. Information about the proposed designations and related rulemaking documents is available on ADEQ’s OAW rulemaking webpage: azdeq.gov/rulemaking/upper-verde-oaw.
