Marana severs county sewer pact

Seeks to control treatment plant to get more water

By Aaron Mackey
Arizona Daily Star, Tucson, Arizona | Published: 07.11.2007

Marana officials maneuvered for control of a county-owned sewer treatment facility Tuesday night in an effort to boost the town's water supply.

Meanwhile, Pima County leaders halted a planned expansion of the facility, located just outside Marana, which could prevent future growth in the town.

The Town Council voted 6-0 to sever a 1979 sewer agreement with the county. Town officials said that would make any wastewater-treatment facility in Marana become town property within six months.

While the facility in question isn't located within town limits, Marana officials would try to annex the area, though the county has threatened to block the move.

Since last year, town officials have been trying to buy the Marana Wastewater Treatment Facility, near West Trico-Marana and North Luckett roads, from the county to help supplement the 36,000 acre-feet of assured water supply officials project will be necessary for the town to accommodate future growth.

A portion of effluent produced from a wastewater facility is counted toward a community's assured water supply.

The county isn't interested in selling the facility, which generates about 200,000 gallons of effluent a day, because it's tied to revenue bonds generated by treatment facilities throughout the county.

Marana does not receive any of the effluent produced by the plant even though all the water that goes into the facility comes from Marana.

Selling the plant would dilute the value of bonds purchased by investors, according to a July 5 letter from County Administrator Chuck Huckelberry.

Marana Town Manager Mike Reuwsaat wants to control the facility and all the effluent that comes from it, which right now is divided among the county, Tucson and area Indian tribes.

Severing the agreement was necessary to bring county officials to the table, said Town Attorney Frank Cassidy. If negotiations fail, Marana could try to annex the area surrounding the facility, though the county has indicated it will block the annexation by designating the area as a park.

While the county has offered to negotiate a new sewer-service agreement with Marana, any scenario short of the town's owning the treatment facility hurts the town's long-term water needs, Cassidy said.

If there was a new agreement, the town would get only a portion of the effluent coming from the plant after Tucson, the county and the Indian tribes took their share, Cassidy said.

When measuring a community's assured water supply, the state credits only a fraction of total effluent generated toward the water-supply total. Town officials are scrambling to develop a renewable water supply capable of keeping up with booming growth in the area.

The town has only 1,528 acre-feet of renewable water for current usage. An acre-foot of water equals 325,851 gallons.

Construction in Marana could be halted if the sewer plant exceeds 85 percent of its capacity, which could happen soon when thousands of new homes connect to the sewer service, Huckelberry said.

While officials on both sides hoped to broker a deal soon, the town's interests wouldn't be served by another agreement, Cassidy said.

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