MOHAVE COUNTY – Mohave County Supervisors passed a resolution Thursday urging the U.S. Department of Interior to reject a recommendation to approve transfer of 4th priority Colorado River water from western Arizona for use in the exploding Phoenix suburb of Queen Creek. A similar resolution was approved Tuesday by the Mohave County Water Authority.
Bullhead City council member Mark Clark this week said he was bewildered that Arizona Department of Water Resources Director (ADWR) Tom Buschatzke is recommending approval when Western Arizona counties, cities, and so many citizens expressed overwhelming opposition during a series of public input hearings held last fall. Clark noted that the state’s largest newspaper has questioned the recommendation and he expressed hope that a second round of lobbying with the Department of Interior can unravel Buschatzke’s recommended order.
Lawyer Patrick Cunningham, retained to represent the county in the matter, said he expects numerous opposition resolutions to be passed over the next few weeks. He said it is not clear when the Department will decide the matter and he noted that litigation has been expected in federal court, no matter the final decision.
Supervisors also conducted their twice-weekly COVID-19 management session Thursday. Department of Public Health Director Denise Burley said she has very preliminary and unofficial numbers from coronavirus testing that the Department of Health and Human Services recently conducted in each of the area municipalities.
Burley said 8 people tested positive during Bullhead City testing, but that one of those doesn’t count toward the county infection rate because the person is placed in another geographical area. She said no positive cases are reported in either Kingman or Lake Havasu but that it would be next Monday or Tuesday before all the HHS test data is available for scrutiny.
It was also noted that some 30 complaints involving various allegations of business non-compliance with COVID restrictions and regulations had been evaluated by county officials. 19 of those complaints were dismissed when compliance was documented upon initial inspection.
Supervisors were told that the remaining complaints are in various stages of county involvement with only one of them considered to be “problematic”, possibly requiring county attorney office action.
Supervisor Buster Johnson asked if county residents should get shots as the flu season approaches.
“We really encourage people and recommend that individuals get flu shots moving forward, especially in light of the fact that we continue to be addressing the COVID issues in our community,’’ Burley said. “Combining that with flu season could make it more problematic, not just for individuals, but for hospitals moving forward as well, increasing hospitalizations and overwhelming our health care system. So, we encourage people and recommend these flu shots.”
- Dave Hawkins
