O R O VA L L E Y W AT E R U T I L I TY N E W S L E T T E R
SPRING 2025
A MESSAGE FROM OUR DIRECTOR For 2025, the Bureau of Reclamation has maintained last year’s Tier 1 water shortage for many Colorado River Water users including Arizona. A Tier 1 water shortage maintains Arizona’s Colorado River water allocation to what it was in 2024. A Tier 1 water shortage means that Arizona receives approximately 30% less Colorado River Water compared to Arizona’s full allocation.
Peter Abraham, P.E. Water Utility Director
For 2025, Oro Valley will not see any reductions in Colorado River water deliveries, but we can expect a reduction in deliveries in future years. Fortunately, the conservation ethic of our residents will allow the Water Utility to meet the water resource needs of the community for the foreseeable future.
The graph shown beloww exemplifies the conservation ethic of our residents. Our overall consumption of water resources is about the same as it was in 2000, yet our population has grown from nearly 33,000 residents in 2000 to nearly 48,000 residents 24-years later. Thanks to our community’s support the Utility has made investments in constructing the water infrastructure necessary to diversify the Utility’s water resource portfolio beyond groundwater. In 2006, the utility began making reclaimed water deliveries for turf irrigation and in 2012 Colorado River water deliveries began to supplement the community’s drinking water needs. The addition of reclaimed water and Colorado River water has resulted in reduced groundwater pumping. Groundwater consumption has been reduced from a high of over 10,000 acrefeet per year in 2005 to under 5,000 acre-feet per year in 2024.
Thank you for your ongoing support and willingness to invest in your community water system to ensure your Utility’s ability to serve the community for future generations. Looking forward,
12,000 10,000 ACRE FEET
To ensure our community’s water resource sustainability, for decades to come, additional infrastructure investments are currently being made. In the summer of 2026, the commissioning of the Northwest Recharge Recovery and Delivery System will allow the Water Utility to deliver even more Colorado River water, reducing groundwater pumping to unprecedented low levels.
ANNUAL COMPARISON OF WATER RESOURCE USAGE
8,000 6,000 4,000 2,000 0
2000 2002 2004 2006 2008 2010 2012 2014 2016 2020 2022 2024
Groundwater
CAP Water
Reclaimed
Population
1 ACRE-FT. OF WATER = 325,851 GALLONS
Peter Abraham
Peter A. Abraham, P.E. | Water Utility Director
1 1 0 0 0 N L A C A Ñ A DA D R I V E | 5 2 0 - 2 2 9 - 5 0 0 0 | OV W AT E R @ O R OVA L L E YAZ . G OV | W W W. O R OVA L L E YAZ . G OV