One Water 2100 Survey
Information Sheet
As Colorado River water grows increasingly scarce, the City of Tucson is working to secure our water future. Tucson Water is currently developing a plan to manage the city’s water resources. The goal of the One Water Master Plan is to foster a shared vision for providing a reliable source of the highest quality water for our community in the decades to come. As part of the planning process, the city developed a survey to gather input from its customers by January 31, 2023.
Sustainable Tucson applauds the city’s efforts to reach out to the community. To aid in that effort, members of the water committee have reviewed the survey and developed the following information sheet clarifying and sharing some considerations for the different strategies – while pointing out the options that the city is already undertaking.
The survey questions are in blue. Our comments are in black, and smaller font.
1. Our drinking water comes from Colorado River water delivered through the Central Arizona Project canal. Below are possible opportunities for surface water sustainability. Which of the following strategies seem most important to you? Choose two.
Maximize the benefits of our current use of Colorado River water (Example: Continuing to store this water underground for future use.)
- Tucson currently gets about 47 billion gallons of water per year from the Central Arizona Project (CAP)
- We don’t use all of our allocation, which has allowed Tucson Water to store nearly 10 billion gallons of water a year in the Avra Valley aquifer
- Tucson currently has about 5-6 years of CAP water stored in the Avra Valley
- We are rapidly approaching a point where the Colorado River will no longer be a reliable source of water
Advocate for Tucson’s allocation of Colorado River water through the Central Arizona Project in state and federal negotiations (Example: Tucson Water is actively participating in negotiations about how Colorado River water will be shared.)
- Tucson is negotiating from a position of surplus due to historically using less than our allocation of CAP water and storing extra CAP water in our aquifer
- Negotiations for Colorado River water are carried out at the state, not municipal level
- Of the lower basin compact states (Arizona, California, and Nevada), California has senior priority rights, which will make it difficult for Arizona to advocate for additional allocations (or even a continuation of the current allocations)
Work with the State of Arizona to explore additional water supplies for the Central Arizona Project (Example: Treat brackish water near the canal to drinking water standards so that it can be delivered to cities)
- Treating brackish water (desalination) is very expensive - the proposed plant on the Gulf of California would be 1000% more expensive than CAP water
- Desalination requires a lot of energy and produces highly concentrated brine that needs to be disposed of without impacting the environment
- Pipelines for fresh water from other rivers (like the Missouri or the Mississippi) are expensive to build, require a lot of energy to move the water, and can also be subject to low water levels in time of drought (which was the case for both rivers in 2022)
Explore water exchanges with other water providers (Example: Las Vegas has offered to invest in a treatment plant in Southern California in exchange for additional Colorado River water.)
- Water exchanges are easy to do, since they are essentially promises on paper to deliver or not use water
- Since no water is being physically exchanged, it could be easy for a partner to drop out of the exchange leaving the other partner without the water they were relying on
None of these
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Other
- External sources and limited sources (like brackish groundwater) will always be subject to disruption or depletion - just like the Colorado River water we’ve come to rely on
- In a normal rain year, Tucson receives more water than we use in rainfall - perhaps we need to do a better job of utilizing it
2. Below are possible opportunities for groundwater sustainability. Which of the following strategies seem most important to you? Choose two.
Explore and invest in new treatment technologies to address unregulated, emerging water quality issues (Example: Two examples of unregulated contaminants are pharmaceuticals and personal care products.)
- Identifying and treating groundwater contaminants, even when they haven’t yet been identified as contaminants by the EPA, is a health and climate justice issue
- It will be hard to fund cleanups of contaminants that have not been recognized as such by the federal government - Tucson Water has already spent $30 million to clean up PFAS contaminated water
Accelerate groundwater cleanup efforts to make local supplies more available (Example: Some wells have been closed until the water can be treated to safe standards.)
- While it would be best to keep the pumps turned off as much as possible, there are some parts of the city that would have no uncontaminated local source of water if they had to rely on groundwater
- Some residents of the city rely on well water that is not treated or tested. Ensuring groundwater is clean would help everyone
- Contamination doesn’t just stay in one location, eliminating it while it is isolated is the most effective way to deal with the issue
- Treatment is expensive and time consuming (the cleanup next to TIA has been going on for more than 20 years)
Bolster sustainable groundwater management (Example: Build pipelines to bring Colorado River water to the southeast side of Tucson and reduce groundwater pumping in that area.)
- Reducing groundwater usage is the best way to ensure we have a healthy aquifer and will help to restore riparian environments in the city, providing additional environmental benefits
- Expanding Tucson Water service to more areas of Tucson could help reduce the need to pump groundwater
- Must ensure the supplies are being used to reduce groundwater use and not just enabling additional development and increased water use
Partner with regional water organizations to protect the aquifer (Example: Work with other organizations to clean up contamination and ensure that the groundwater levels are balanced.)
- Tucson Water has been working with local and regional water agencies on conservation efforts
- All water agencies in the state of Arizona (or, ideally, throughout the Colorado River basin) should be working together to ensure the health of the aquifers
None of these
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Other
- Demand reduction is the best way to conserve groundwater:
- Commercial properties should harvest rainwater
- There should be more support for homeowners and businesses to harvest and use rainwater or to use greywater
3. Below are possible opportunities for recycled water use. Which of the following strategies seem most important to you? Choose one.
Further treat recycled water for custom uses (Example: Recycled water could be used in cooling towers for large buildings.)
- Tucson is currently a leader in use of recycled water and on-site water recycling could be an effective way to reduce water use
Adopt new policies for water reuse in buildings (Example: Using rainwater, recycled water, and air conditioning condensate for toilet flushing.)
- Recycling as much water on site as possible is low-hanging fruit for reducing water demand
- There are many good uses for rainwater or condensate besides flushing a toilet: landscaping, hand sinks, even drinking water
Begin purifying recycled water to drinking water standards (Example: San Diego has begun using purified recycled water to augment their drinking water supply.)
- Reduces supply demand and helps to create a local water cycle
- The purification process for reclaiming water to drinking water standards is expensive, uses a lot of energy and chemicals, and results in the loss of a lot of water in the process (up to 5x the water produced)
- It would be much less expensive to purify harvested rooftop rainwater to drinking water standards
None of these
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Other
4. Below are possible opportunities for stormwater use. Which of the following strategies seem most important to you? Choose two.
Integrate and align stormwater standards, policies, and practices across the region (Example: Stormwater harvesting sites are not always designed and built using best practices. Creating a shared set of standards and policies would help ensure the performance of these sites.)
- There is a lot of overlap in state, county, and city standards - as well as conflicts between green stormwater infrastructure (harvested runoff used to grow trees) and city/county ordinances
- The state legislature is often opposed to local legislation that contradicts their viewpoints
Establish a comprehensive stormwater utility (Example: Expand the City’s existing stormwater fee to fund services like flood control and large scale rainwater harvesting.)
- Stormwater management currently is the responsibility of a number of local, regional, and state agencies - coordination between them may be challenging
- It would difficult to establish a new utility and could add additional bureaucracy instead of improving efficiency
Explore opportunities for large scale stormwater projects with multiple benefits (Example: Design detention basins to control flooding, harvest stormwater, and support native landscaping.)
- Well-placed large stormwater projects could have a positive impact on groundwater levels
- Large scale projects could reduce damage from flooding in addition to making a positive impact on the aquifer
- Irrigating trees with stormwater saves city water and reduces the urban heat island effect
- There aren’t that many undeveloped areas in the city where large-scale projects could be implemented to best effect
Educate the community about using rain and stormwater for landscaping (Example: An advertising campaign that teaches the public about how to support native plants and trees with rain and stormwater harvesting.)
- There is a desire and a need for educating the public about effective desert landscaping
- Past advertising campaigns (like Beat the Peak) have been effective in raising awareness, but there seems to be less outreach lately
- Tucson Water is trying to increase outreach
- Education of the public is not enough on its own, there also needs to be investment by the city in the other solutions.
None of these
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Other
5. Under the Incentives category, which program is most important to you? Choose one.
Customer incentive programs like rebates (Example: Rebates for toilets and washer machines that are more efficient)
- Tucson Water currently offers a $2000 rebate for rainwater harvesting and $1000 for greywater harvesting, as well as rebates for high efficiency clothes washers and toilets
- There needs to be more community outreach and education on the program
Low-income assistance (Example: Reduced or no-cost toilet replacement, rainwater harvesting systems, and emergency plumbing repairs)
- Low income customers can’t afford the cost of installing a system, so the low-income grants make it possible to conserve water
- The title “Rainwater Harvesting Grant/Loan Program” may make people think that they will get more debt
- Ineffective promotions
- Low income customers may not be able to afford to maintain the systems once they are installed
- Systems installed under the low-income grant programs tend to be very minimal and some installers cut corners
Modifying the tiered rate structure to make it more progressive (Example: Currently, the more water customers use, the more they pay per unit of water. This tiered rate structure could be made more progressive, making it more expensive the more water you use.)
- All customers should be paying the true cost of water, but excessive users should pay a penalty - including commercial customers
None of these
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6. Under the Monitoring and Mandates category, which program is most important to you? Choose one.
"Smart meters” that monitor water use in real time, provide leak alerts, and inform water use habits (Example: a website or app that notifies you when unusual water use is occurring)
- Real-time data on water use and alerts about unusual water use, would be very helpful
- There could be pushback about “spying” on customers
- This app would be most useful if it provided public data about all users - at the very least, where you compare to your neighbors
Mandated conservation (Example: Restrictions on how often you can water your landscape)
- Municipalities who are serious about conservation impose mandatory limits on water use
- In Arizona this would require the support of the state legislature
Conducting water audits (Example: Personalized, step by step analysis of indoor and outdoor water uses)
- Tucson Water’s zanjero program has been successful in using water audits to teach residents how to manage their water use
- Auditors come to the house and check your bill, your faucets, check for leaks, etc.
- It takes a long time to reach out to every customer who needs assistance because there are a limited number of auditors
Creating water use guidelines (Example: An efficiency reference point for each type of customer)
- Tucson Water has been doing this by indicating average water use on water bills and with their recently released Responsible Desert Dweller Guide
- Guidelines should be established for all types of customers - including commercial
Water waste enforcement (Example: City employees contact people that allow water to run off their property and into the road)
- It is already possible to report water waste and the city does contact people who are reported
- Enforcement needs to include city departments (like Parks and Rec overwatering or watering during dormant periods or on a rainy day)
None of these
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7. Under the Education category, which program is most important to you? Choose one.
Landscape training (Example: Classes for homeowners and landscape professionals about water efficiency and native plants)
- Tucson Water already provides this type of training through partnerships with organizations like the University of Arizona Extension, Watershed Management Group, and the Sonora Environmental Research Institute
- The city needs to require landscapers licensed in Tucson to have this training so they don’t remove native vegetation or damage native trees with bad pruning
- There is a disconnect between the different city and county departments, so there isn’t consistent training
Community outreach programs (Example: Advertising campaigns and websites)
- Beat the Peak was very effective, but that was decades ago
- Need to emphasize the need for greater conservation
Classroom programs for children’s education on conservation (Example: Presentations about water conservation, our water supplies, and the water cycles for grade schools)
- Tucson Water does sponsor several educational programs in schools
- Early exposure to these concepts influences not only the coming generation but the current generation when kids start asking questions or implementing practices they learned when they get home
- Needs to be done on a bigger scale - like how students were taught about recycling
Researching new technologies (Example: Toilets and washer machines that are more water efficient)
- Appliances and plumbing fixtures are becoming much more efficient and widespread availability at low cost would be very helpful
- Is Tucson Water the best agency to be doing R&D for residential and commercial appliances?
None of these
Unsure
Have additional questions or feedback to Tucson Water about the One Water Plan? Fill out the contact form:
https://tucsononewater.com/contact/
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
Arizona Advances $5.5B Mexico Desalination Plant Proposal | Engineering News-Record
Drought Status Update for the Missouri River Basin | March 18, 2022
Historical weather data for Tucson
$25M for Tucson water will help with PFAS treatment, Ducey announces Friday
Tucson is leading the nation in reclaimed water use
The Southwest's looming water battle
Tier 2 Shortage Declared for 2023 – Basin States Fail to Reach Colorado River Usage Agreement
Arizona’s Future Water Shock - Circle of Blue
Arizona's Next Century: A strategic vision for water supply sustainability
Apply for Water Conservation Rebates | Official website of the City of Tucson
Free Water Efficiency Audit through the Zanjero Program | Official website of the City of Tucson
Responsible Desert Dweller Guide