Neighbors are objecting to lots without water

NOGALES--A request to develop 25 residential home lots near Tubac without a water supply was considered last week by the Santa Cruz County Planning and Zoning Commission.

But more than a dozen neighbors objected to the proposal. Questions also were raised by the nine members of the commission.

Pierce Construction of Green Valley has asked for approval of a tentative plat for Aliso Springs Subdivision. The 119-acre property is south of Tubac on the west side of Interstate 19.

At issue is where the water would come from for the proposed 25 homes.

Alejandro Barcenas, area director for the Arizona Department of Water Resources, said subdivisions can be filed as dry lots but there is a requirement to prove a 100-year water supply before obtaining a certificate.

Valerie Feurer, project planner for McGovern, MacVittie, Lodge & Associates Inc. (MMLA), representing Pierce Construction, said a few reports have been submitted to the Department of Water Resources.

Hydrologist's 1984 report

She said the company did have a technical updated memorandum by a hydrologist who concluded in a 1984 report stating there is a 100-year supply of water.

Rich Bohman, Santa Cruz Valley Citizens Council board member, said he was concerned with the figures that Fuerer quoted from the 1984 hydrologist report.

He said if the hydrologist was concluding there was a 100-year water supply in 1984, 20 years have already passed.

Bohman said he thinks the best approach to handling the water issue is for the developer to throw out the idea of a dry lot water system.

"The developer needs to put in one or two central wells, deep wells that go deep into the aquifer," Bohman said. "They need to provide distribution to each of the lots, maybe forming their own water company."

Bohman said he realized that it would be a more expensive approach but said the extra money could possibly be incorporated into the cost of the land.

Warning issued

"From a long range, all of you would be making a big mistake by approving the dry lot subdivision," Bohman said.

Thomas Lodge, MMLA engineer, said his company has talked to Pierce Construction about using a centralized water system and that Pierce Construction informed MMLA they would rather pursue the dry lot option because of the costs of building a central water system.

Barcenas of the Department of Water Resources pointed out, "The key is, they cannot offer the land for sale until they have a public report which is dependent on getting that water certificate."

Mike Bader, Aliso Springs Property Owners Association board member, said he is not against the idea of building new homes but said he is definitely against building homes on a dry lot subdivision.

Bader said he believes the property has an existing well rumored to have 100 gallons running per minute.

"They have all this water, so why don't they utilize it?" Bader asked. "We at Aliso Springs would love for them to bring it up west. If they approve, we'll tap into it and we would even pay them for using it."

The commission members voted unanimously to table the request for approval of the tentative plat for two months. They said the water issue must be taken care of before any decision is made.

Ruth Estrada is a reporter for the Nogales International.