BEHIND THE
METER
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 2023
A MESSAGE FROM OUR DIRECTOR
Peter Abraham, P.E. Water Utility Director
For 2023, the Bureau of Reclamation (BOR) declared a Tier 2a water shortage for many Colorado River Water users, including Arizona. A Tier 2a water shortage reduces Arizona’s Colorado River allocation by 21%.
The BOR has requested that all Colorado River water users create a new plan to leave even more water in the river. Six of the seven Colorado River Basin states submitted a consensus framework plan for Colorado River water cuts that met the goals set forth by the BOR. Unfortunately, the plan failed to gain the support of California, seen as critical to making meaningful cutbacks since California has the largest apportionment of the river. California released its own plan which minimizes their obligation to leave water in the river while vastly increasing what Arizona must cut. At this time, it is unclear how the BOR will view any plan to save the river that doesn’t have the support of all the states. The BOR needs to take decisive action. All Colorado River water users will need to commit to reductions. The sooner the river’s demand is reduced to a sustainable level the sooner the river will be protected, benefiting everyone. For 2023, Oro Valley will not see any reduction in Colorado River Water deliveries, but we can expect a reduction in deliveries in future years. Fortunately, Southern Arizona water professionals have been planning for these challenging times for over two decades in the following ways:
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obust Colorado River Water (CRW) Allocation: R The Utility delivers approximately 25% of its CRW Allocation. The remaining CRW water is delivered to nearby underground aquifer storage facilities to replace groundwater pumped by the utility as well as to be saved for future use if needed.
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Groundwater Preservation: Since 2005, the Utility has added reclaimed water for irrigation purposes and CAP water for domestic use. This has resulted in the Town reducing its groundwater pumping by 56%, effectively preserving this precious natural resource for future use if needed.
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ember of the Arizona Water Bank: For decades M the state of Arizona has been storing CAP water in underground aquifer storage facilities. This water is available for members in the event of municipal CAP delivery shortages.
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Conservation: Oro Valley residents have a strong water conservation ethic. Most of our customers fall within our lowest level of consumption.
Thanks to a diverse water resource portfolio, forward thinking water resource management, and our community’s strong conservation ethic, your water utility is well positioned to manage future water resource challenges and continue to provide continued long-term water service to you. Looking forward,
Peter Abraham
Peter A. Abraham, P.E. | Water Utility Director
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