 Water 101 Presented To The Green Valley League Of Women Voters Friday, December 12 th, 2014 By John Kozma Chair, GVC Environmental Committee

Presentation Content Background Information Arizona Hydrology Local Issues The Colorado River & Central Arizona Project The In-Process Green Valley Recharge Projects Q&A Time Permitting

Background Information Water – Characteristics & Criteria Key Dates or Milestones Where Does Our Local Green Valley Water Come From What Is An Aquifer? Water Use Facts

Background Information Water – Characteristics & Criteria The amount of water on the earth has remained fairly constant over time. However, there are key factors of: Location (normally associated with population) Quality (brackish or high mineral versus fresh), and Quantity (renewable versus non-renewable; climate) Water is 70% of the world’s surface & life forms The oceans have 97% of the world’s water 2% is in the polar ice caps Only 0.6% is fresh groundwater Lakes, rivers & streams are only 0.1%

Background Information Key Dates or Milestones the Original Colorado River Compact Water Treaty With Mexico AZ vs. CA Supreme Court Allocation Decision approval of the Central Arizona Project (22 yr.'s) U.S. Safe Drinking Water Act (set MCL’s) Arizona Groundwater Management Act when the AMA’s & ADWR came to be compromise between government, mining, cattlemen, and agriculture Arizona Environmental Quality Act (ADEQ)

Where Does It Come From All The Water In The Green Valley & Sahuarita Area Comes From Ground Water (An Aquifer), With Some Individuals Hauling Their Own Or Having Their Own Wells There Are 6 Local & Diverse Water Providers: 1.Community Water 2.Green Valley Domestic Water Improvement District 3.Sahuarita Water 4.Farmers Water 5.Las Quintas Serenas Water, and 6.Quail Creek Water The Conclusion – The Need For Synergy (USC/PUG)

What Is An Aquifer? Sierrita Mountains Santa Rita Mountains Santa Cruz River Aquifer Well Aquifer Boundary Aquifer Boundary Water Sand, gravel & rock Air Water table Vadose zone Saturated zone (aquifer) Alluvial Aquifer

Water Usage Facts The Average Arizonian Uses About 130 Gallons/Day * About 0.5 Gallons/Day For Drinking About 1 Gallon/Day Goes For Cooking The Balance Is For Waste Disposal, Washing, Showering, and Irrigation In Addition, It Is Estimated About 1,400 Gallons Are Required Per Person To Support Food Production, Electrical Power Generation, and Industrial Production There Has Been About A 8% To 13% Reduction In Per Household Consumption Over The Past 30 Years, But That Is An Equal Concern To Our Utilities. * Source: WRRC, UofA

Water & People What Year Was AZ’s 1 st US Census & What Was The Number? 1870: 9,658 Individuals 1900: 122,931 (broke 100K) 1920: 334, : 499, :1,302,161 (broke a million) 1980:2,716, :5,130,632 (broke 5M, 40 fold increase 100 yr’s) 2010:6,392,017 The Point Is The Implications To Our Water Usage, Recognizing Our Water Resources Are Finite

10 The ABC’s of Water in Arizona Arizona ’ s hydrologic systems are diverse. The climate ranges from sub-alpine in the San Francisco Peaks and White Mountains to harsh deserts near Yuma, which receive less than 2 inches of rainfall per year.

11 AZ’s Physiographic Provinces There are 3 physiographic provinces within Arizona, each areas of broadly similar but different landscape, climate, and hydrology. The Plateau Uplands are flat, broad, high elevation plains that receive more snow and rainfall than much of the state. Aquifers are large, but very deep in the western part of the Plateau. The Central Highlands contain most of the perennial streams in Arizona. The aquifers here are small and drought sensitive. The Basin and Range Provinces receive little rainfall and have few perennial streams, but contain very large aquifers. Point - Tucson/GV, Phoenix, and Flagstaff water issues are each different

The Hydrologic Cycle 12

13 Arizona Average Annual Precipitation Oregon Climate Services Oregon State University Legend (In Inches) Under 8 12 to to to 24 8 to to to to 36 Above 36 Most of Arizona receives less than 12 ” of rainfall per year. This make the areas that do receive higher precipitation, such as the White Mountains, critical in generating surface water that supports stream-flows and fills reservoirs

14 Where AZ’s Water Comes From Arizona gets its water from four sources: From the Colorado River, From Streams within the state, such as the Gila, Salt, Verde, and Agua Fria Rivers, From Groundwater, and From Effluent. Effluent re-use is a small portion of total use now, but it will become a more significant source of water in the future.

AZ Water Usage - Where It Goes Agriculture – 4,400,000 A/F Municipal – 1,500,000 A/F Industrial – 500,000 A/F An Acre-Foot Is 325,851 Gallons or 1,613 Cubic Yards: Therefore 2,280,957,000,000 Gallons or 11,291,000,000 Cubic Yards About 7 Million Acre-Feet Of Water State Wide In Round Numbers

Active (Water) Mgmt. Areas Prescott – 485 sq m. & 20(K) AF usage Phoenix – 5,646 sq m. & 2,000+ (K) AF usage Pinal – 4,100 sq m. & 800(K) non-Indian usage Tucson – 3,869 sq m & 300(K) AF usage Santa Cruz – 750 sq m & 30(K) AF usage 83% Of The States Population Is In These 5 AMA’s

Locally For GV/Sahuarita Past/Current Groundwater Depletion -About 32K acre-feet/yr. (10,425,232,000 gallons) -Equates to a 2 to 4 foot drop/yr. in our water table AZ Safe Yield Mandate -Need to be putting 40K A/F in the ground -CAGRD “on your tax bill” but no service Individual/Residential Conservation Alone Won’t Solve The Problem Fortunately, We Have Intermediate Term Options

GV/Sah. Water Usage (2010) *Asarco also uses 8,000 – 9,000 af/y of CAP water directly. Acre feet per year Total 68,720 Overdraft 36,100

TAMA Groundwater Depletion Model, 2011 – 2025 (K) A/F Year R = >-100+ ft. Org = -50/75 Yel = -20/40 L Bl = +10/50 D Bl = >+100+

Sulfate Plume Plume originates from seepage at the Freeport McMoRan retention pond, with concentrations reaching 1500 mg/liter. Plume at all depths (i.e., frontal iceberg) and flows east then turns north with the aquifer Freeport has replaced Community Water Co. wells 2006/2007 Mitigation Plan includes: Minimum quarterly monitoring of groundwater Construction of 18 new interceptor wells Construction of new retention pond

Lake Mead & Colorado River Shortfalls

For Boating Enthusiasts Humorous, If Not That Serious

Upper Basin Lower Basin Out of Basin Diversions Lee Ferry Lake Powell Lake Mead Out of Basin Diversions The Colorado River Basin Drains Seven U. S. and Two Mexican States Covers Approximately 240,000 sq. mi. Major Out of Basin Diversions to Colorado, New Mexico, Southern CA

AZ Allocated 2.8M ac/ft (912.4 B Gals.) CAP Capacity 1.5M ac/ft (488.7 B Gals)

336-mile aqueduct stretches from Lake Havasu to Tucson 14 pumping plants lift water nearly 3,000 feet 8 siphons, 3 tunnels Lake Pleasant/New Waddell Dam Annually delivers approx. 520 billion gallons (1.6 million acre-feet) Delivery of Colorado River water began in 1985 ARIZONA Central Arizona Project

Status of the Colorado River Lake Mead Lake Powell 68% 76% 97% 44% 51% 45%, 10.8 MAF 47%, 12.2 MAF 1,108’ 1,220’ 3,700’ 3,590’ 1,075’ Colorado River Water Supply Report Total System Contents: 27.5 MAF 9/6/ was the 3rd Driest, 2013 the 4 th Driest Year observed since 1906 Lake Mead is less than half full and about 30‘ above shortage trigger elevation (1,075’) Total Colorado River storage is at 50%

CAP Deliveries B gals 151 B gals 179 B gals 54 B gals Approximately 15% delivered in Pima County

Priority 3 68,400 Ag Pool 155,000 Other Excess Shortage ( 75,000) NIA Priority 215,000 CAP Delivery Priority Low High Ag Pool Shortage (245,000) 2016/2017 Level 1 Shortage Indian Priority 317,000 M&I Priority 465, MAF 0.5 MAF 0 MAF 1.0 MAF 320,000

Shortage Sharing Arizona and Nevada share Lower Basin shortages under the 2007 Guidelines Mexico voluntarily agreed in Minute 319 to accept reductions in its deliveries at the same elevations Lake Mead Elevation Arizona Reduction Nevada Reduction Mexico Reduction 1075’320,000 AF13,000 AF50,000 AF 1050’400,000 AF17,000 AF70,000 AF 1025’480,000 AF20,000 AF125,000 AF No reductions to California under 2007 Guidelines

Our 2 Recharge Pipeline Projects FICO, Ground Savings Facility (GSF) Project - Currently licensed for 11,000 A/F in lieu of groundwater - Start of full construction is imminent (36” pipeline) - Question of impact of the Ag pool allocation cuts Community Water’s Project Renews (JPAR) - Currently just licensed for 3,000 A/F - Start of full construction a question of tie-in approval at the Pima Mine Recharge tee by the Tucson City Council & Mayor. Can go to the CAP Terminus on I-19 but longer construction schedule and higher costs.

FICO GSF CAP Water Design 11K A/F

The CWC Project I-19 Desert Diamond 36-inch pipeline alignment Gravel Operation Walmart CWC Well Community Water’s Project Renews Phase miles from PMRRP to the recharge basin. Phase 2 - PMRRP back to the CAP Terminus CAP Allocations: CW - 2,858 A/F GVDWID - 1,900 A/F Basin - 3,000 A/F as licensed 7,000 A/F ultimately

Resources Water Resources Research Center, University Of AZ AZ Department Of Water Resources Central Arizona Project Upper Santa Cruz Providers And Users Group U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) AZ State University, Morrison Institute

Water 101 Available For Q&A, Time Permitting