With climate change in full force, Tucson Water is preparing a comprehensive long-range plan to guide our use of water resources for the next 80 years. This master plan is based on a nationally recognized integrated approach to resource management known as “One Water.” The aim of the One Water 2100 Master Plan is “to foster a shared vision for providing a reliable source of the highest-quality potable and non-potable water for our community in the decades to come.”
Where do we come in? Tucson Water is seeking customer input to help shape priorities for water use and infrastructure development. Their online survey is open through January 31, 2023.
The survey questions address surface water sources, opportunities for groundwater sustainability, recycled water use, stormwater use, customer incentives, monitoring and mandates, and education.
Everyone knows how important water is for the quality of life that we have come to enjoy, and how limited it is in the desert. Potential solutions to the current crisis are diverse and can be complex. Members of Sustainable Tucson’s water committee reviewed the survey and composed an Information Sheet that offers considerations on each strategy option. The sheet also provides links to resources for making informed decisions. We hope you will find these comments and links helpful in evaluating the different options.
Some of the questions will ask you to choose two options, others ask you to choose only one. This doesn’t mean that there aren’t other good options. You are being asked to prioritize the one or two that are the most important to you. All of the options offered in the survey are strategies already being undertaken or currently being looked into by the City. They are seeking feedback on prioritization for the best use of their limited budget. The first four questions in the survey also have an other option that allows you to suggest approaches Tucson Water did not include. If you would like to make a suggestion that doesn’t fit in the limited scope of the survey, you are welcome to use the contact sheet on the One Water website.
Please, take advantage of this opportunity to weigh in on this important issue that affects us all.
Sustainable Tucson’s One Water Information sheet can be found at bit.ly/ST-one-water.
The city’s survey is online at tucsononewater.com. Remember, January 31 is the last day to respond!
