ARIZONA'S YAVAPAI COUNTY

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Not so many years ago, Chino Valley, north of Prescott, was a rich agricultural area, dotted with gushing artesian wells. Its large commercial farms grew corn, pinto beans, and other produce for the Phoenix/ Tucson market. Infestations of Mexican bean beetles have since made many Chino gardeners opt for the more resistant crowder and black-eyed peas, and the valley's water has become a source of contention. (Prescott, which owns land in the valley and gets some of its water from there, is in court battles now with the town of Chino Valley over this vital resource, and no new agricultural wells can be drilled.)

In fact, the question of water rights in the entire state is now being fought out in the Arizona courts. It seems there are more water rights than there is water, so, a short time back, residents had to file their claims and report their water uses to the state, which will now decide who gets what. In other words, when you buy land, you can't assume that you own the water flowing through or under it. It will probably be years before the issue is settled. "I doubt if my grandchildren will get a final word on it," one man sighed. (There are both shallow- and deep-water tables running under Chino. Depending on the elevation of your land, you may hit the shallow one at less than 100 feet. If not, you'll probably have to drill at least 400 feet. The cost of drilling, including the required casing, is about $15 a foot.)

Gary and Molly Beverly, whose homestead is on the outskirts of the town of Chino Valley, pop. 5,000, found water at less than 50 feet and have made good use of it (see "Chino Valley Changes"). The Beverlys built their small, solar-heated house out of adobe bricks and packed earth. They undertook the task to prepare themselves for building a larger home that will be added to the present shelter soon. When the new section is finished, their current living quarters will become Molly's pottery studio. She sells her attractive and sometimes whimsical wares in shops throughout the area, teaches a cooking class, and writes a cooking column for the paper (she has a degree in English).

Gary, who has a Ph.D. in physical chem istry, is a solar contractor and consultant. He says new solar installations have fallen off since the federal tax credits ran out, but he finds plenty of work in maintenance and repairs. The Beverlys also have a fine garden that provides much of their food and is irrigated by a goldfish pond/swimming pool/ reservoir. Molly finds a ready market in area restaurants for some of her garden herbs. They also grow an acre of organic garlic, which is sold as far away as Arkansas.

The Beverlys paid $3,000 an acre for their five acres eight years ago, but now the peracre price for equivalent property would be closer to $8,000. (A one-acre lot in Chino sells for about $12,000.) Warning: If you find a land bargain in Yavapai, you'd better be very cautious. A Prescott real estate agent told me that three things are of prime importance: water rights, percolation tests, and access rights.

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