Editing Green Valley, Arizona (section)

==Water sustainability==

According to a 2007 report by Pima County, {{convert|76000|acre.ft}} of water was pumped from the aquifer in the Upper Santa Cruz Valley in 2006, with 85 percent of that water being used for mining and agriculture. The remaining 15 percent was split between water used for golf courses and residential/commercial water use. The report explains that "The Green Valley area does not have a sustainable water supply given current groundwater pumping rates... the water table in Green Valley has been declining in past years, and is expected to decline even faster as water demands [continue to increase]...". The report concludes that "Water supplies will become critical within the next ten years."<ref name=long-term-water>{{cite web|date=October 2, 2007|url=http://www.pima.gov/pdf/Long-Term%20Green%20Valley%20Water%20Supply%20.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081001110309/http://www.pima.gov/pdf/Long-Term%20Green%20Valley%20Water%20Supply%20.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-date=October 1, 2008 |title=Long Term Green Valley Water Supply |publisher=Pima County |access-date=November 30, 2007}}</ref>

The original 2007 report from Pima County contained a number of recommendations. Four out of five of the recommendations suggested taking advantage the "Central Arizona Project (CAP) renewable water supplies, as well as recharge of the same".<ref name="long-term-water" /> The report states, "the size of a pipeline that would convey Central Arizona Project water for direct use or recharge for the entire Upper Basin would need to be at least 72 inches in diameter."<ref name="long-term-water" /> As of 2017 one 36" CAP pipeline has been completed with a second 36" CAP pipeline slated for completion in the later part of 2017.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://u.realgeeks.media/greenvalleysahuaritahomes/pdfs/Project_Renews_Updated.pdf|title=Project Renews Update}}</ref> (Note, however, that two 36-inch pipes provide only one half the capacity of a single 72-inch pipe, because capacity scales with cross-sectional area, not with diameter.)

The Upper Santa Cruz Valley has several major water users, all pumping water out of the same aquifer. Most area water users are for-profit companies. ASARCO-Mission Mine, Freeport-McMoRan Sierrita Mine and Farmers Investment Co. (farming) are industrial scale water users. Residential water is provided by Farmers Water Company, Sahuarita Water Company, Las Quintas Serenas Water Company, Quail Creek Water Company, Community Water Company of Green Valley (a nonprofit member owned cooperative), and the Green Valley Water District (a governmental water utility). The proliferation of water companies can be partially explained by the fact that Arizona water law places few limits on the amount of water that can be pumped with costs limited only to drilling, pumping, distribution, etc. Since 2007 the Upper Santa Cruz Providers and Users Group (USCPUG) has been working to bring all local water entities, including the Town of [[Sahuarita, Arizona|Sahuarita]], to the same table. Most of the water users and utilities are now members of USCPUG. The organization has published an analysis and projection of area water use through 2030. It has joined with the U S Bureau of Reclamation to lay the groundwork for transportation and use of Colorado River water from the Central Arizona Project canal to greatly reduce reliance on pumping groundwater. If a system is successfully completed, the excess pumping will be largely or fully eliminated. The process through design and construction is expected to take several years with funding being the major challenge.<ref name=uscpug>{{cite web | year = 2011 | url = http://www.uscpug.org/ | title = Upper Santa Cruz Providers and Users Group | work = Sustainable water for Green Valley & Sahuarita through teamwork| publisher = USCPUG | access-date = October 12, 2011}}</ref>[[File:Caution golf carts.jpg|thumb|Golf carts are popular in Green Valley]]