County resolves to oppose CAP deal

TUCSON—With little discussion and before a small audience Tuesday, Pima County Supervisors approved a resolution critical of Community Water Co.’s plan to bring Central Arizona Project Water to Green Valley-Sahuarita.

The plan is expected to be roundly debated today, however, when the Arizona Corporation Commission will listen to arguments centered on Rosemont Copper’s plan to build a 20-inch pipeline to bring CAP water from Pima Mine Road to a recharge site near Duval Mine Road in Sahuarita.

Today’s meeting is scheduled for 1 p.m. at American Legion Post No. 66, 1560 W. Duval Mine Road, Sahuarita.

Rosemont plans to develop an open-pit copper mine east of the Santa Rita Mountains, a project that has attracted opposition of environmentalists, the Pima County leadership and area residents, among others.

There were fewer than 20 spectators in the supervisors’ Tucson meeting room Tuesday when water company President Arturo Gabald—n delivered part of a prepared statement.

In it he repeated one of his favorite arguments, that this project will bring some CAP water to the area for recharge 10 to 15 years sooner “than otherwise possible for Community Water to achieve on its own.”

Gabald—n also urged that consideration of the resolution be withheld until after a Dec. 18 supervisors’ hearing.

“Please hear what the people have to say before you come to such an important decision,” he said.

A memo by County Administrator Chuck Huckelberry said the proposed pipeline would deliver less than 10 percent of the area’s projected needs by 2015, that Rosemont is not obligated to build the line if it can’t develop the planned copper mine and the recharge site is in a different location from where the company will be pumping groundwater.

Gabald—n agreed that the proposed 20-inch line does not meet the projected water use in 2015, but he said it’s not the water company’s responsibility to mitigate all the local uses, including those of agriculture and mining.

He also said the recharge delivery site is upstream from where Rosemont will get its groundwater, and that the company has agreed to pay for the pipeline whether or not it builds the mine.

The resolution also directed county staff members to help local users including those in agricultural and mining to cooperate in bringing a larger pipeline, initiate state legislation to require a state impact study on the use of water for mines, support withdrawal of Forest Service lands from use for mining and continue to study the Rosemont claims “due to concerns regarding the profitability of mineral located in the U.S. Forest claims.”

jlamb@gvnews.com | 547-9749

Details

What: Arizona Corporation Commission meeting on CAP water deal.

Where: American Legion Hall, 1560 W. Duval Mine Road, Sahuarita.

When: 1 p.m. today.

Information: Contact Community Water Company of Green Valley at 625-8409.

Document: Go to www.gvnews.com for a copy of the agreement between Community Water and Augusta Resource Corp.

Editorial inside: Our take on the ACC’s visit to Green Valley, Page A6.