Our Opinion: Marana's grab of sewer plant is illogical and hostile move

Tucson Citizen, Published: 07.27.2007

Marana's attempt to unilaterally grab a Pima County sewage treatment plant and its effluent shows the need for regional cooperation on water and sewer issues.

Such attempts by one jurisdiction to gain control of additional water and wastewater assets are likely to become more common as growth in southern Arizona makes it more difficult to obtain an adequate long-term water supply.

This confrontation started when Marana decided to establish a wastewater beachhead by annexing and taking over a county sewage treatment plant on the Northwest Side. Marana used twisted logic to justify the takeover.

Town officials voted to end a 1979 sewer agreement with Pima County, which allows the town to claim ownership of sewer lines within Marana limits. But Marana claimed it also should be able to annex and take ownership of a county wastewater treatment plant outside town limits.

Pima County rebuffed that by declaring the area around the plant a park, which cannot be annexed without county approval.

Marana's continued takeover attempt is unreasonable. The county plant was paid for by sewer connection and user fees collected from throughout the region. It's absurd for Marana to believe it should now be able to take ownership of that asset - free.

And the battle likely will escalate. The city of Tucson says it may cut off water delivery to Marana customers if Marana starts diverting wastewater. Tucson - based on agreements that have been in force for decades - says it has rights to the treated wastewater because it is the end product of city-provided water.

This all could - and should - have been avoided. In 2004, meetings were started to explore a regional water plan among the city, county, Marana and other small water companies in the area. All involved agreed there was a need for more regional cooperation.

There even was talk about a new regional utility that would handle all water and sewer issues for the region without regard for jurisdictional boundaries.

Talks on the plan were supposed to start in earnest in 2006. They didn't. So it now appears likely the entire mess will end up in court. Lawsuits and countersuits will ensue, with taxpayers caught in the middle, paying lawyers on both sides to battle it out.

This was an unnecessary fight touched off by Marana's grab of a county facility. Marana should back down and seek to have this dispute settled in a non-confrontational way.

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