Weigh in on Tucson's One Water 2100 plan by July 21nd

important take-away from WMG

We have one last chance to weigh in on the One Water 2100 (draft) plan. The deadline is July 21, 2023.

Sustainable Tucson's water committee is currently working on our organization's comments on the plan.  Some of us attended Watershed Management Group's letter writing workshop. They had some excellent recommendations for points to comment on. They suggest that we all submit individual comments as well. Please, consider checking out WMG'S recommendations and personalizing your comment so it doesn't sound like a petition or form letter. For example, you might include why it is important to you.

Here is a recording of the WMG meeting.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6px9-2Yp_nc

Link to WMG's slide show presentation: slides:

  https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1Oe_qNYLZPm9zP238NprvwG1d3uXg8Ok9OwoYo8e3SHA/edit?usp=sharing

Link to the One Water 2100 plan and comment info: https://tucsononewater.com/plan-resource-page/

NOTE: The first 83 pages of the plan is background information on Tucson's water. Good information, but you might want to scroll past that to get to their plans for the future of Tucson's Water.

Weigh in on Tucson's water future on the One Water 2100 Survey - by January 31

As Colorado River water grows increasingly scarce, the City of Tucson is working to secure our water future. Tucson Water is currently developing a plan to manage the city’s water resources. The goal of the One Water Master Plan is to foster a shared vision for providing a reliable source of the highest quality water for our community in the decades to come. As part of the planning process, the city developed a survey to gather input from its customers by January 31, 2023.

Sustainable Tucson applauds the City’s efforts to reach out to the community. To aid in that effort, members of the water committee have reviewed the survey and developed an INFORMATION SHEET clarifying and sharing some considerations for the different strategies..

Please, take advantage of this opportunity to weigh in on one of the most important issues of our time.

INFORMATION SHEET on proposed water strategies: https://bit.ly/ST-one-water

The survey is available at https://tucsononewater.com

NOTE: If you have a suggestion for a strategy that isn't included on the survey, you can leave a comment using the contact sheet on the One Water website: 

https://tucsononewater.com/contact/

More information on the One Water process can be found here: 

https://tucsononewater.com/why-a-master-plan/

Here’s a way to help Tucson prepare for the next 80 years of water use - 13 News

Actions to Protect AZ Water this week at the AZ State Legislature

This week there are some bills that could affect our water being heard at the state legislature.

The first action requires a quick phone call. Please, take a couple minutes to call your state Representatives before it goes to a vote (which could be any day.) The rest of the bills are being heard in committee. If you have registered for the Request to Speak, you can sign in on the system on the Arizona Legislature Website.  You can weigh in on RTS anytime before or during that meeting. (See info below.)

PHONE ACTION:

There was a recent attempt to resurrect one of several bad water bills in the House. HB2609 Harquahala non-expansion area; groundwater transfer (Petersen: Cook) allows private water companies in the Harquahala Irrigation Non-expansion area (west of the Phoenix area) to withdraw water to a depth of 1,500 feet rather than 1,000 feet and transport it into an active management area. This violates the spirit, if not the letter, of the 1980 Arizona Groundwater Code and sets a terrible precedent for bypassing statewide groundwater management by importing water from areas outside the Active Management Areas. Speaker of the House, Rusty Bowers, is leading the effort to jam this through over the objections of La Paz County and any who are concerned about further privatizing water. Please call your representatives and ask them to oppose HB2609. If they say they are opposing it, thank them.

To find out who your Rep is, find your district: 

https://azredistricting.org/districtlocator/

Use that district to find the contact information for your Rep.

https://www.azleg.gov/MemberRoster/

REQUEST TO SPEAK ACTIONS:

If you have registered for Request to Speak, this is your opportunity to weigh in on the following bills this week.   (See directions on RTS here.) 

(To register for a Request to Speak account: http://www.cebv.us/. NOTE: It may take a day or two for someone to go to the capitol to sign you up, so do it now so you can still participate on Wednesday or Thursday.) 

Wednesday, March 20th

Senate Committee on Natural Resources and Energy at 2:00 PM

• HCM2003 uranium pollution; remediation (Thorpe) includes inaccurate information about uranium mining, turning it into a promotional for the mining industry. Encouraging cleanup is something we do support, but this memorial does not reference the need to get the mining companies to clean up their own messes, plus it says that there are no issues with "modern" uranium mining. (The current practice is for mines to become limited liability companies so they aren't held responsible to clean up their own toxic tailings that seep into our waterways). OPPOSE.

Thursday, March 21st
Senate Committee on Water and Agriculture at 9:00 AM

• HB2475 water use; criminal penalty; wells (Bowers) says if you take someone else's water via a well, it is no longer a misdemeanor. This includes the subsurface flows of streams and rivers. Essentially, this would keep the law making it illegal to steal someone else’s water when it is on the surface, but legal to steal it if it’s below the surface. OPPOSE.

NOTE: I've found it easiest just to do all of the Request to Speak bills while I am in the system. Just click "another request." 

Stop Another Flint: Tell Congress to Protect Our Communities from Toxic Lead Pipes

It’s time for Congress to put families first and ensure you and your family have access to safe drinking water. Your health depends on it.

"I don’t trust the water. It could be five years from now, and I’ll still never drink this water."

That was Ariana Hawk talking about Flint’s water last week after Michigan Governor Rick Snyder announced he was ending free bottled water for Flint residents. She’s right not to trust the water. Ariana’s children developed rashes after being exposed to the lead-contaminated water, and 11 people died from Legionnaires Disease.

Flint is just the tip of the iceberg. Over 10 million U.S. homes still get their water delivered by lead pipes, just like the ones that sparked the crisis in Flint four years ago. It’s time for action!

Sign the petition to Congress: Does your community have access to safe drinking water »

This week marks the four-year anniversary of the Flint water crisis, and while state and city officials might say the crisis has ended, Flint doesn’t even scratch the surface of what’s going on in our country.

Even in cities like Youngstown, Ohio, we do not know that sources are safe to deliver water to homes, schools, and public buildings. Some places, like small rural communities, might not even know that their water is unsafe because testing is not as consistent.

After Flint drew the national spotlight, those responsible were held accountable and people started paying attention to their water infrastructure. But millions of Americans continue to drink, cook, and bathe in water that’s delivered to their homes by toxic lead pipes and is unsafe.

Send a message to Congress that you, your family, and your neighbors should not be putting their lives at risk by drinking water »

- Lori D'Orazio, ReBuild USA

Now help the children in Flint by signing the EDF's petition:

Tell Congress: Enough delay. It's time to address the Flint lead crisis, and act to protect all Americans from lead.

Submit a public comment: Stop the Water Polluter Loophole

Scott Pruitt wants to put our drinking water at risk -- again. He wants to create a giant loophole that will let polluters get away with dumping pollution into groundwater that eventually flows into lakes, rivers, and bays.

I wish I was making this up.

Right now we can hold polluters accountable when chemicals or other pollutants they dump in groundwater flow into surface waters through the Clean Water Act. Across the country, fossil fuel companies, petroleum pipeline companies, and coal-burning utilities have been facing liability in courts for polluting water with gasoline, diesel, and heavy metals—and losing case after case. This is the way it should be -- you pollute our water, we hold you accountable.

But these companies don't like this -- so they are asking Scott Pruitt to help them. And, unsurprisingly, he is. He wants to weaken clean water protections by changing EPA's longstanding position that pollution discharged into groundwater that flows into surface water requires a water pollution permit. EPA and states have required permits for this type of pollution for decades.

Tell him not to rollback any more safeguards for clean water.

CLICK HERE to submit a public comment today and tell EPA to immediately withdraw its ridiculous scheme and instead work to protect communities from harmful water pollution. 

*Remember to personalize it a bit - so they don't have the excuse to throw your comment out as a form letter. 

It doesn’t make sense for the Clean Water Act to cover pollution dumped from a pipe into a river, but not pollution that flows through groundwater into that same river. Not only is it illegal for polluters to dump chemicals or other pollutants into groundwater that is connected to a river or stream without a permit, EPA has no authority to create a polluter loophole that does not exist in the language of the Clean Water Act. Congress included no such exemption because in order to “restore and maintain the chemical, physical, and biological integrity of the Nation’s waters,” all connected waters must be protected from harmful pollution.

Creating a new polluter loophole undermines EPA’s mission to protect public health and the environment and would leave a huge gap in water protections, leaving our most valuable resource without protection.

Tell EPA to reject this plan to give polluters a free pass to destroy our water. Take action today!

- Jennifer Peters, National Water Programs Director

More information on Scott Pruitt:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2DSJv72NXyA