Thankfully, Marana Pauses Its Sewer Fight

Our view: The break should turn into a permanent abandonment of the plan to take control of the Pima County plant.

Arizona Daily Star
August 15, 2007

The Great Marana-Pima County Sewer Tussle of 2007 is taking a much-needed pause after Marana decided to hold off on its plan to take over a wastewater-treatment plant outside its boundaries. Hopefully the pause will turn into a permanent abandonment of the plan.

The signs are promising. The two sides met and agreed to at least agree on what they're talking about. It's a start.

Marana wants control of a small sewer plant now owned and operated by the county because it is really seeking the treated water, or effluent, produced by the plant. It needs the effluent so it can prove it has a renewable water source to support already-planned development.

Without rights to the effluent, Marana would have to buy CAP water, which town officials say would be more expensive.

For the past month, Marana and Pima County have battled each other publicly. Marana's Town Council voted to sever a 1979 agreement with Pima County on the theory that the plant would revert to town control and that the town would own the plant if it was annexed into Marana. Pima County countered with a threat to turn the area around the plant into a park.

For the past month, it appeared the mess was headed for court. But now Marana has given the county preliminary numbers on the amount of potable water the town needs, based on current and anticipated growth, and the amount of effluent that could be generated from that, according to a Star story by Brian J. Pedersen.

The county has promised to share figures on costs connected to owning and operating the sewage-conveyance system and pumping stations within town limits. Marana will compare that to numbers generated by its own rate study, which is now under way.

We've said on these pages before that Marana should ditch its plan to take over the sewer plant.

Managing water resources and wastewater is a regional issue and should be treated as such.