AWWA SOURCES66470

Tucson Water, the largest municipal water provider in southern Arizona, is engaged in adialogue with the community regarding the long-term sustainability of its water supply.The basis for this exchange is Water Plan: 2000-2050 which was developed to inform thecommunity and decision makers about the water-resource challenges that lie ahead. Untilrecently, the City of Tucson and all other water users in the greater Tucson region reliedalmost exclusively on groundwater pumping to satisfy water demand. Over time, theregional aquifer has been overdrawn resulting in declining ground-water levels,measurable aquifer compaction and land subsidence, and environmental degradation.Given that Tucson Water's current service area population of about 750,000 is projectedto perhaps double by 2050, decision makers recognize that the Utility's continuingdependence on groundwater for supply cannot sustain the community in the longer term.The Plan identifies the need to implement a three-fold water management strategy toaddress current supply issues and to prepare for the future. This strategy emphasizes moreaggressive demand management, supply augmentation, and the full utilization ofavailable renewable water supplies. The renewable source waters that are currentlyavailable are imported Colorado River water and locally-generated municipal effluent.The community, in partnership with Tucson Water, will make a series of threshold water-resourcedecisions in the coming years.The Plan decisions will focus on how best to utilize the renewable supplies since eachpresents unique challenges and uncertainties with regard to treatment, operationalflexibility, and supply reliability. The decisions will also have a bearing on broadersustainability considerations beyond just the long-term availability of water supply. TheUtility's future demand for energy, potential large-scale land usage impacts, air qualityissues, water usage efficiency, and several other sustainability criteria must be consideredto provide an appropriate context for decision-making. Includes 10 references.

Product Details

Edition:

Vol. - No.

Published:

02/01/2008

Number of Pages:

11

File Size:

1 file , 53 KB