Guest Comment: Get the facts straight on water

According to ADWR, Farmers Investment Co. pumped 30,541 acre-feet of groundwater in 2008. FICO has been pumping groundwater in this range for decades for its pecan groves. FICO is also under no legal obligation to replace its agricultural groundwater pumping with CAP water.

The big mines west of Green Valley pumped another 39,768 acre-feet of groundwater in 2008. Freeport McMoRan (Sierrita) used 27,180 acre-feet and Asarco pumped 12,588 acre-feet in 2008. These mines do not have to buy CAP water for replenishment because they are also exempt. Asarco has started using CAP water this year, however. Freeport has not.

On the urban side, all the Green Valley and Sahuarita water utilities together pumped 6,993 acre-feet of groundwater in 2008. The golf courses serving the area pumped 4,250 acre-feet in 2008.

Almost all the existing urban groundwater use of Green Valley, including the pumping for area golf courses, is exempt from being replenished with CAP water. Only new developments seeking a 100 year assured water supply from ADWR have had to either buy their own CAP water or join the Central Arizona Groundwater Replenishment District and pay a groundwater withdrawal fee to replace their pumped water for new development. And, interestingly, there is no mandate in state law that the replenishment be in the same area as the pumping. Thus, it is possible for groundwater to be pumped in Green Valley and the CAP replenishment to occur in Marana.

A development can still get an assured water supply even while pumping the groundwater levels down to 1,000 feet.

Then there is a lot of state land in the area, which the State Land Department has claimed around 11,000 acre-feet a year of groundwater on for urban development of the state trust properties.

The Tucson Active Management Area, which stretches from south of Green Valley to Red Rock, and includes the Avra and Altar valleys as well as the Santa Cruz Valley, is supposed to reach “safe yield” by 2025. Safe yield means no more groundwater is withdrawn than is naturally or artificially replenished.

Actually, according to ADWR forecasts, the TAMA may get close to reaching safe yield by 2025. But the water table is still going to be dropping dramatically under Green Valley anyway.

Why is that?

Because the safe yield goal is a mathematical construct for the entire active management area and has nothing to do with maintaining existing water levels.

South of Green Valley the Santa Cruz Active Management Area has the goal of maintaining local water tables and preventing long term declines.

That is a goal needed for Green Valley.

Under the existing exemptions, the farms and existing mines can happily pump 60,000 acre-feet of groundwater per year for decades, without buying one drop of CAP water or effluent and replenishing what they extract.

This creates an enormous subsidy that will be paid for by Green Valley and Sahuarita residents who will have to pay much higher prices for their water because of the added cost for CAP recharge and the cost of pumping groundwater from ever greater depths.

So, if you are concerned about your water supply in Green Valley and Sahuarita, then several things need to happen.

First, everything possible should be done to expand CAP recharge capacity in Green Valley, especially south of Sahuarita Road, to offset groundwater pumping.

Second, effluent from the urban areas must be utilized to reduce groundwater mining. It is real simple, all Green Valley area golf courses should be mandated to switch to effluent by 2025.

Third, there should be no exemptions from having to pay back the pumping of groundwater in the area. Anyone pumping groundwater should have to pay into the replenishment fund to buy CAP water and recharge it in the area. That means all the mines, and FICO should be paying for CAP recharge now. There should be no free riders on the aquifer.

Hugh Holub is an attorney who has been representing water utilities and well owners in Southern Arizona since 1974. The views expressed above are the writer’s own and do not necessarily reflect those of this newspaper.