Connie Kotke
The SaddleBrooke Public Affairs Commission (SPAC) invites all residents of SaddleBrooke One and SaddleBrooke TWO to a panel presentation called “In the Know on H2O” on Monday, March 3, starting at 2 p.m. The program will be held at the DesertView Theater. Doors open at 1:30 p.m.
A panel of speakers will share their expertise on the water situation in and around SaddleBrooke, followed by the opportunity for questions from the audience. Our goal is to build trust and transparency by helping residents understand the current operational, environmental, and legal factors that influence the availability and quality of our water.
Speakers include representatives from JW Water Holdings LLC, the water provider that recently purchased Lago del Oro and SaddleBrooke Utilities from Robson; Wally Wilson, hydrologist and Water Resources Manager for the Tucson Metro Water District; and Dr. Sharon Megdal, Director, University of Arizona Water Resource Research Center. We will wrap up the program with a brief look at what each of us can do to conserve precious water, along with next steps SPAC is considering for future workshops.
SaddleBrooke draws groundwater from an aquifer that is part of a large watershed and storage system called Tucson Active Management Area (AMA), Upper Santa Cruz sub-basin. During the program, you will learn about JW Water’s future investments in infrastructure to meet the needs of our community (including anticipated rate adjustments), plus oversight and management initiatives that are underway across the state to protect this valuable resource. You will also hear about the impacts of prolonged drought in Arizona, which do not immediately equate to water shortages. However, climate research suggests that reductions in precipitation locally and on the Colorado River flows will be pervasive in the future.
The SaddleBrooke Public Affairs Commission is a “dynamic” group that spans both SaddleBrooke One and SaddleBrooke TWO. It is proactive in discovering and sharing important issues occurring outside our community—things that can influence our quality of life now and in the future.
You are welcome to submit questions in advance of this presentation to help inform the content. Simply email sbazpac@outlook.com no later than Feb. 20.