Joint release with City of Tucson.
The City of Tucson and the Town of Marana have entered into a collaborative water agreement that allows for increased use of renewable Colorado River water, and less pumping of groundwater in the Tucson basin. The agreement, commonly referred to as a wheeling agreement, allows the Town of Marana to use Tucson Water facilities to recharge, or store in the aquifer, up to 250 acre-feet (af) of water annually. Tucson Water will pump out an equal amount of water from its aquifer storage facilities and deliver the water to various points connecting to Marana’s water system.
Under this agreement, the City of Tucson will design and build connection points into Marana’s water system in order to deliver recovered Colorado River water to Marana Water customers. The Town of Marana will reimburse Tucson Water for the design and construction costs related to the new facilities; and will also pay for operating costs related to the recharge, storage, and delivery of Colorado River Water.
“As a desert city, we highly value and strive to protect our water resources,” said Mayor Regina Romero. “Wheeling agreements, like this one, allow for a regional coordinated effort to reduce groundwater pumping and increase renewable Colorado River water. Collaborating with neighboring cities to preserve water is not only a win for the environment, but also for the people in our region.”
The City of Tucson has entered into several other wheeling agreements with Oro Valley, Pascua Yaqui, and Vail Water Company, among other entities. These agreements allow for water utilities to take advantage of Tucson Water infrastructure designed to recharge, store, and recover Colorado River water. The regional benefit to wheeling agreements is that it reduces the amount of non-renewable groundwater pumpage and encourages the use of renewable water supplies. The result is conservation of the native groundwater supplies that some area water providers continue to pump, and rising water tables due to reduced groundwater withdrawals.
John Kmiec, Deputy Director of Tucson Water, stated “This agreement obviously benefits the community due to reduced groundwater pumpage. However, it also reinforces the fact that local water providers can work together to resolve regional issues.”
Wheeling agreements are consistent with several policies identified in Plan Tucson (the City’s General Plan), including long term water resource and infrastructure planning, collaborative multi-jurisdictional planning for water resources, and supports the Tucson Water Service Area Policy.
Mayor Ed Honea, Town of Marana, commented, “This agreement allows the Town to use its renewable water resources to serve Marana customers in areas that would not otherwise be able to receive water service directly from the Town, and it eliminates the need for additional, costly infrastructure. We are truly appreciative of the cooperation and hard work between the staffs of both organizations.”
