Community Water received an email from a non-customer non-member who had attended our public meeting.  In a show of good faith, your co-op provided a response to the individual where his questions  related to the region as a whole.  Several letters were exchanged. 

Dear Non Member,

Thank you for your interest in the local water issues. It is obvious that you have put much thought and effort into your questions and I would like to share some thoughts with you.

The sulfate plume that has contaminated the aquifer under nearly one-half of Community Water’s service area is the result of leakage from the tailing impoundment of the Phelps Dodge Sierrita Mine. Phelps Dodge and the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality have entered into a legal Mitigation Order to address the spread and mitigation of the sulfate plume. Phelps Dodge has started drilling monitoring wells at many locations in Community Water’s service area; including several rigs you may have seen along La Canada Drive, to study details of the sulfate plume migration.

I used the Arizona Department of Resources water flow model map (the grey map) to indicate that local water recharge in the vicinity of our service area could probably have a positive benefit on water levels in the aquifer and possibly limit the spread of the sulfate plume. However, any projections on the actual impact of local recharge will require analysis and study by Phelps Dodge and the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality mitigation team, and the Arizona Department of Water Resources.

There is a misconception that Augusta Resources had approached Community Water with some kind of deal. This is simply not the case. Community Water’s board instructed management to investigate and report on any developments that would impact our water supplies. We approached Augusta after learning that they were planning to supply mine water from within a few miles of our existing wells. Our board instruction included the requirement that any aquifer protection should be at no cost to our customers and members.

Community Water has worked for decades on the issues of sustainable water supplies. Our mission should come as no surprise to our long-term residences. Our first step was the formation of the co-op in 1977 to retain local control on our water resources. In subsequent years the co-op renewed its commitment by applying for CAP allocations in 1985 and then in 1995, which we subsequently received. We have made many public presentations and address this issue annually at our meeting of members and in detail in our annual report to our members.

Community Water’s board recognizes that our members have many opportunities to express opposition to the Rosemont Mine. However, our responsibility is to identify possible water problems associated with the pending Rosemont Mine and determine possible remedies. Having Augusta Resource fund our water delivery system whether or not the Rosemont Mine is approved is the responsible action for us to take. If the Rosemont Mine is not approved, we will have received funding for early construction of our water delivery system. If the Rosemont Mine is approved, we will have received funding to provide for local recharge of CAP water to offset the water with-drawls that the Rosemont Mine will make.

Since you are not a member or customer of Community Water Company of Green Valley, the actions and plans of your local water provider for a sustainable water supply could be of interest to you. I would encourage you to contact your local water provider and ask for more information about your water supplies and their plans for a sustainable water supply.

Sincerely,

Arturo Gabaldón

President

Community Water Company of Green Valley.

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Dear Non Member:

Again thank you for your interest in the local water issues. As I noted earlier, since you are not a member or customer of Community Water Company of Green Valley, the actions and plans of your local water provider for a sustainable water supply could be of interest to you. I would encourage you to contact your local water provider and ask for more information about your water supplies and their plans for a sustainable water supply.

A point that has been shared with many of our members is that Community Water Company of Green Valley is a water company, not a political interest organization. We believe there are many organizations and groups within Pima County that would welcome and encourage our members, whether for or against the Rosemont Mine application, to participate and support their goals. These organizations, or a subset of these organizations, have every right to make their positions known to the community at large and, in this case, to the appropriate state and federal authorities relative to the Rosemont Mine application.

If you continue to have an interest in the sulfate contamination that has been created by Phelps Dodge Sierrita Mine, I suggest you obtain a copy of the Mitigation Order signed by Phelps Dodge and the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality. CWC has made this information available on its web site http://www.communitywater.com. Additionally, one of the provisions of the Mitigation Order provides for a Citizens Advisory Group and their meetings are open to the public and are generally advertised in the Green Valley News.

In closing, as most of our members are aware, the immediate solution to the sulfate contamination problem created by the leakage from the tailing impoundment of the Phelps Dodge Sierrita Mine was created through direct negotiation between Community Water and Phelps Dodge. This negotiation resulted in Phelps Dodge paying Community Water to construct two new wells and seven miles of pipeline. These new wells supply a significant portion of the water being used by our members at this time. These negotiations also resulted in the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality taking leadership on a non-regulated contamination problem (legally, sulfate is not regarded as a contaminate) and reaching a settlement with Phelps Dodge that has set legal precedence for the State of Arizona and its ability to develop sulfate contamination controls with other mines.

Sincerely Arturo Gabaldón

Community Water Company of Green Valley

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Dear Non Member

Thank you for your latest inquiry to Community Water Company of Green Valley.  I have shared all of our correspondence with our board.  As a water co-operative representing the interests its members I will continue my efforts to find solutions to the many complex issues affecting us in Green Valley/Sahuarita. 

Again I would encourage you to contact your local water provider and ask for more information about your water supplies and their plans for a sustainable water supply.  The many questions and observations that you are presenting relative to the water contamination caused by the Phelps Dodge Sierrita Mine and possible movement into other areas would appear to require the skills of a qualified hydrologist. 

Thanks again for bringing your thoughts to our attention and I hope that you are able to gain additional information in your discussions with the Green Valley Domestic Water Improvement District and/or the Phelps Dodge Sierrita Mine Citizens Advisory Group. 

Sincerely,
Arturo Gabaldón
Community Water Company of Green Valley