shueman
Libra
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Alta Loma CA
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Posted: Oct. 15 2005,8:24 pm |
Post # 1 |
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Feds mull proposals for two metro-area reservoirs
The lakes could store Central Arizona Project water and include boating and other recreational uses.
B. POOLE - Tucson Citizen
Southern Arizona's quest for a reliable water supply into the 21st century could offer a bonus for Tucsonans in coming years.
Two potential new lakes near Tucson could store Central Arizona Project water for use during canal outages. And they could include campgrounds, beaches, boat docks and hiking trails, said F. Eric Holler, Tucson's program manager for the Bureau of Reclamation.
"Primarily we want to do reservoirs for technical reasons, but these days you really can't do single-purpose infrastructure if you can help it," Holler said. "We try to squeeze as much value out of everything we do as we can."
The lakes would be needed to ensure a steady flow of water through CAP water treatment plants. No area water company has decided to treat and deliver CAP water directly, but it remains an option for all of southern Arizona's major water providers.
As plans stand, the smaller of the two lakes, which would be near the Tangerine Road exit of Interstate 10, would be 104 acres - 10 times larger than the lake at Kennedy Park.
A conceptual plan for the lake shows a small swimming beach, campgrounds and a three-mile loop drive dotted with picnic areas.
Marana also is planning hiking trails in the Tortolita Mountains near the lake, said Brad De Spain, the town's utility director.
A proposed lake at Black Wash, about three miles west of the Pascua Yaqui Nation's Casino of the Sun, would be roughly a square mile at 650 acres - more than twice the size of Patagonia Lake, a popular 250-acre reservoir about 40 miles south of Tucson.
The plan for the Black Wash lake includes two campgrounds with more than 100 sites, a fishing pier, boating and swimming beaches and picnic areas.
The Reclamation Bureau hopes to complete plans for both lakes this year, Holler said.
The bureau has federal authority to plan major water projects in the state.
The Northwest Side reservoir, which would serve the Metropolitan Domestic Water Improvement District, the Flowing Wells Irrigation District, Oro Valley and Marana, would be needed if residents decide to take direct delivery of CAP water, Holler said.
A decision on CAP water delivery for Metro customers will have to be made in the next year and a half, Metro Water Director Mark Stratton has said.
The main purpose for the lakes would be to keep CAP water flowing to homes during extended maintenance or emergency outages on the 336-mile canal that brings water to Tucson from Lake Havasu.
Both lakes would be next to the canal.
Any recreation features included in the lakes would have to fit into the lakes' primary purpose, water providers say.
Concerns include water quality, which could be affected by having people and boats in the lake; safety and security, said Metro Water spokesman Warren Tenney.
"It would have to be very well thought out," Tenney said.
Edited by shueman on Oct. 15 2005,8:28 pm
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12-22-2025 Gas price in your area (Rep.#7,378) from: GoFastRacer
Very cool I hope this all pans out. My kids are jumping up and down chanting "YES YES YES". Looks like 3-Points property value could be in for a boost. 
