But county opposes plans to extend canal, offer water to mine
B. POOLE
Tucson Citizen

Pima County supervisors said Tuesday that the county intends to help Green Valley residents, water providers and businesses find a way to get Colorado River water.

But they unanimously passed a resolution Tuesday saying that a plan to push the Central Arizona Project seven miles past its end would not adequately serve the Green Valley area's water needs.

They also opposed making CAP water available to the mining company that intends to pay for the pipeline because they oppose the company's plans for an open-pit copper mine in the Santa Rita Mountains.

The pipeline would bring water to Green Valley, but would provide just a small fraction of the 88,000 acre-feet of water the area needs, the resolution said.

"I don't think there's anybody here on this board saying that a pipeline to serve that region of our community is a bad idea," Supervisor Ramón Valadez said. "We recognize a need, but we need to make sure that the solution . . . is one for the region, not simply for one user or some users."

Community Water Co. of Green Valley signed a letter of intent to allow Augusta Resource Corp., a Canadian firm that hopes to build a mine in the Santa Rita Mountains, to pay for the pipeline. The $9 million to $15 million pipe would bring about 7,000 acre-feet of water - enough for about 21,000 families - to the Green Valley area each year.

The pipeline plan is subject to the approval of the Arizona Corporation Commission, which was to hold a hearing Wednesday to gather comment from the public. The county will send a representative to speak at the meeting, the resolution says.

Ken Taylor, president of Community Water's board of directors, welcomes the county's help, but the resolution does not address funding - a key sticking point in extending the CAP canal.

"Who brings the money? That's a good question," Taylor said after the meeting.

Community Water Director Arturo Gabaldón urged the county to table the resolution until after a Dec. 18 county public hearing recommended by County Administrator Chuck Huckelberry. Denouncing the plan before that is premature, he said.

"They're executing a 'ready, shoot, aim' policy," Gabaldón said.

Vail resident Elizabeth Webb spoke to the board in support of its resolution.

"I don't think anyone is saying Green Valley doesn't deserve the CAP. What they're saying is, just don't take the money from the devil," she said.

The Community Water plan is at least a way to take action soon to stave off further decline in the water table, Taylor said.

The plan is a way for southern Pima County to get water now, "not 10 to 15 years down the line. We have enough studies to know we need more water," he said.