TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — Water is an essential city service—and a difficult challenge for a growing city in the desert. The City of Tucson is deciding how it will manage one of its main water sources.
At Mesquite Valley Growers, water is life for the wide range of plants they nurture there. Plant lovers like Terry Jackson know they have to be careful with water use and consider what’s right for each plant.
“And that's especially in the time that we're living right now. You have to be able to economize with water. We don't have the luxury of having tremendous amounts of water. We never will again.”
Tremendous amounts of water are missing from Lake Mead. It collects the Colorado River water that quenches the thirst and fuels the growth of much of the Southwest. But the lake level is so low the Federal agency that manages the lake is cutting the shares of water states can take. Arizona’s allocation is down 21 percent.
This time of year Tucson decides how much of its yearly allocation it will tap. City Council has taken less than its share some years to try to help Lake Mead but this year Tucson’s City Manager proposed, and Council agreed to take its full share—almost 47 billion gallons. In water management terms that is a little over 144 thousand acre-feet.
The director of Tucson Water says Tucson normally uses about 100 thousand acre-feet. That’s about 32 and a half billion gallons. It will save the rest underground for those un-rainy days.
Tucson Water Director John Kmiec says, “The city of Tucson has been banking excess water for years. We probably have more than five and a half years of water if we receive nothing from the (Central Arizona Project) canal. That is just in our credits, our accounts in Avra Valley and south of Tucson. But we also have millions of acre feet of legal entitlement to groundwater in the region as well.”
Back at the plant nursery, Terry Jackson says he’s impressed by the water management of this growing city in the desert.
“I think it's the you know, the planning of the city has been excellent. To be in the position that they're in. I think so.”
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Craig Smith is a reporter for KGUN 9. With more than 40 years of reporting in cities like Tampa, Houston and Austin, Craig has covered more than 40 Space Shuttle launches and covered historic hurricanes like Katrina, Ivan, Andrew and Hugo. Share your story ideas and important issues with Craig by emailing craig.smith@kgun9.com or by connecting on Facebook and Twitter.
