Water initiative could curb growth
by Garry Duffy on Apr. 06, 2007, under Edge, LocalHookups would be barred in water crises, system breakdowns
Kromko
A group of residents wants to place on the November city ballot an initiative that would limit new development during lengthy water shortages.
The Tucson Water Users’ Bill of Rights is similar to an initiative proposed two years ago that fell short of the necessary number of registered voter signatures to make the ballot that year.
Organizers said forecasts of continued drought and nonstop growth prompted them to try again.
“Everybody is ignoring this elephant in the room,” said John Kromko, who spearheaded the last petition effort and is leading this effort.
The “elephant” is the growing population and demand for water in times when climate forecasters are warning that the Southwest may be at the beginning of a decades-long drought that could leave the region in desperate straits if demand exceeds supply.
Kromko said the Tucson area is especially at risk of water shortages because the city is “the last of the last in line in the CAP supply line.”
Prolonged drought or long-term disruptions in the Central Arizona Project canal or local delivery system could imperil a secure supply of safe drinking water for the area, he said.
That’s why the proposed initiative would ban water line hookups during prolonged drought or service interruptions, Kromko said.
Tucson Water officials said the petition contains much more than restrictions on growth and the price of water.
“This initiative is meant to get ‘yes’ votes by putting everything in it except the kitchen sink,” said Mitch Basefsky, Tucson Water spokesman.
The proposed initiative includes one provision likely to have an aesthetic appeal to voters: It would ban Tucson Water from including effluent and other kinds of reclaimed water in city drinking water, as some city water officials have discussed as a possible means to expand supplies.
Other initiative provisions:
● It calls for the end of the city’s $14-a-month garbage collection levy, which is tacked onto Tucson Water bills.
“The people in our group are morally opposed to putting unrelated fees on water bills,” Kromko said.
● It would ban other fees on water bills, such as any “fees related to road construction,” and require developers to pay the full cost of Tucson Water system expansion.
● It would prohibit Tucson Water from entering into supply agreements outside its service area.
Basefsky said the initiative would tie the hands of water officials and render the water utility unable to quickly respond to supply or safety emergencies.
“Taking away the flexibility that enables us to meet the future needs of the community is something we are opposed to,” Basefsky said.
Petition circulators must collect the valid signatures of at least 11,615 voters registered in Pima County by July 6 to qualify the measure for the ballot.
In the last effort two years ago, supporters of that initiative fell short by 187 signatures and failed to get it on the ballot.
