City enters sewer plant dispute

Threatens cutoff of fresh water going to Marana

By Erica Meltzer, Aaron Mackey and Rob O'Dell
Arizona Daily Star, Tucson, Arizona | Published: 07.26.2007

The city of Tucson may force Marana to take on 9,000 water customers now served by Tucson Water, if the town insists on diverting sewage from a regional wastewater treatment plant.

Yet it's not clear whether Marana has the water supply or the infrastructure to serve those areas, which include Continental Ranch, Dove Mountain and the golf courses that hosted the WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship earlier this year.

The move comes in response to Marana saying it would take over the sewer system in the two subdivisions as part of a takeover of the county sewer system within the town limits.

The city of Tucson considers the effluent derived from that sewage as its resource because it is the water provider.

In a sharply worded letter to Marana Town Manager Mike Reuwsaat, Tucson City Manager Mike Hein questioned why Marana would move to take over a city resource without first talking to the city, adding the city will look into stopping service to Continental Ranch and Dove Mountain.

"I am directing our staff to explore the feasibility of giving Marana what it has asked for — full responsibility for the supply of and delivery of potable water and control over its own destiny," Hein wrote. "To be clear, staff is directed to evaluate the effect of Tucson Water discontinuing the service of potable water to areas within the corporate boundaries of Marana," as well as delivery of reclaimed water to golf courses.

In an interview, Hein said the city would not just cut off water to Continental Ranch and Dove Mountain. But the letter raises the stakes in a dispute between Marana and Pima County and Tucson.

This month, the Town Council voted to sever a 1979 sewer agreement with Pima County, which allows Marana to claim the sewer lines within town limits. Marana believes severing the agreement also gives it ownership of a county wastewater treatment plant near North Luckett and West Trico-Marana roads, just outside the town.

Town officials filed paperwork Wednesday to start the annexation process for a 2 1/2-square-mile area that includes the plant. County Administrator Chuck Huckelberry said the county will resist the annexation and takeover of the plant, and will delay expansion plans until the dispute is resolved, which could put the plant at capacity and prevent further sewer hookups.

Marana officials drew Tucson into the dispute by notifying the county Monday they also intended to take over sewer lines and a pumping station in Continental Ranch and Dove Mountain, where Tucson Water is the water provider, and divert that sewage to a Marana-run treatment plant. "What Marana is after is the credit for the effluent," Hein said. "Those are assets and credits of Tucson Water. ... The fact that we own the effluent is an obvious concern."

Although Marana has said Tucson can keep the effluent produced from the water it provides, Hein is concerned treatment at the Marana plant could be more expensive. By offering to make Marana the water provider in those areas, Hein essentially is telling Marana if it wants the effluent, it needs to provide the water. But it's not clear Marana has the supply or the infrastructure to do that.

Tucson Water currently supplies 3,000 acre feet of water per year within Marana town limits. In 2005, Marana supplied just 5,000 acre feet to all its residential customers. And while water levels are rising underneath Marana as farm fields are retired, the town has just 1,528 acre feet of renewable supply. Eventually the town will need to offset all its groundwater pumping with recharge from renewable supplies from a number of sources, including effluent.

If Tucson Water were to stop providing tap water and effluent to Dove Mountain, it could imperil a newly arrived international golf championship that's projected to bring $100 million annually to the region. Tucson's water utility provides 1,800 acre-feet a year to golf courses in Dove Mountain, including The Gallery Golf Club, site of February's WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship.

The town would have to provide the effluent for The Gallery, Heritage Highlands Golf and Country Club, and two other planned courses being built at a resort. Tucson Water has approved water connections for the planned Ritz-Carlton resort, including a 290,000 gallon potable water reservoir and a million gallon sewage reclamation lake.

Marana currently does not have a reclaimed system. Gallery officials wouldn't comment and calls to the tournament's director weren't immediately returned.

Reuwsaat said he had not had time to absorb all the implications of Hein's letter. He tried to downplay the impact of Tucson Water withdrawing from Marana, even as he said he believes the utility has contractual obligations with developers to serve those areas.

He said he did not know if Marana could meet the needs of the two subdivisions. "If this actually gets feet, I would assume we would do our due diligence and have that discussion," he said.

An agreement between Marana, Tucson and the county on effluent use has been held up because Marana does not believe it should have to contribute to a regional settlement of Indian water rights. The Tohono O'odham Nation receives 28,200 acre feet a year in effluent, with a proportional amount coming from each water provider, except Marana. That accounts for about 38 percent of effluent produced today.

If Marana would agree to contribute its proportional share of effluent from the Marana treatment plant, it could have 90 percent of the remainder. Reuwsaat said the town doesn't believe it should have to forfeit effluent from the plant north of town because that water lies outside the groundwater basin that was the subject of the original Indian lawsuit.

City officials believe Marana should contribute because water users outside the basin, including the predecessor of the Marana Water Department, were named in the lawsuit.

Hein said other water providers will have to put larger shares of effluent into the settlement to make up for Marana's refusal to participate. He said, "Marana wants the best of both worlds," having the city provide fresh water to its residents then claiming the county wastewater system to get the recharge credits to support their growth.

Reuwsaat said Marana needs to control its own water and wastewater resources to be able to grow as much as it wants. Hein questioned Marana's confrontational approach. Amending the wastewater plan requires a vote of the Pima Association of Governments, whose members include the county, the city and the Nation.

"I continue to be befuddled by the actions and approach Marana is taking," Hein said. "I really can't even begin to speculate what their motivations are."

One Dove Mountain resident said he was concerned about losing service if Tucson Water were to stop supplying the community. "Where's the water going to come from if it's not Tucson, and how long does it take to build up that infrastructure?" said 64-year-old Larry Bernosky.

Contact reporter Erica Meltzer at 807-7790 or emeltzer@azstarnet.com.

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