DAWS Process/Status
Let's summarize the previous Marana Water (MW) Designated Assured Water Supply (DAWS) Modification blogs:
Part I-presented the 6-Step Procedure for developing DAWS
Part II-reviewed Steps 1-4 to methodically analyze the original MW DAWS Modification Application, Deficiency Letter No.1, MW's Deficiency Letter No.1 Response and offered some Conclusions.
The Arizona Department of Water Resources (ADWR) has recently issued MW a second Notice of Deficiency, which has put MW's Designated Assured Water Supply (DAWS) Modification in a holding pattern.
In this Part III, we will review Deficiency Letter No. 2 and the DAWS timeline going forward.
The information/data and analysis presented in this series is based on the MW DAWS Modification Application (5/22/22), Notice of Deficiency No.1 (10/17/23), Response To Notice of Deficiency No.1 (1/12/23), Notice of Deficiency No. 2 (3/2/23) obtained from responses to ADWR Public Record Requests submitted on 9/2/22, 1/18/23, 3/3/23 and follow-up questions with ADWR staff.
Notice of Deficiency No. 2
Notice of Deficiency No. 2 (download at the link below) covers ADWR's analysis and follow-up questions/requests related to MW's Response to Deficiency Letter No. 1 and is summarized as follows:
Groundwater Modeling-explain well pumping redistribution utilized in the model
Demand Estimates-provide explanation of growth rates for the period 2031-2041 and compare to other periods and regional growth rates
Separate Water Systems-several questions regarding the integration of MW's existing seven different water systems into two or three systems and how the related infrastructure will be constructed
Effluent (Recycled Wastewater)-several questions related to the development of effluent volumes (one of MW's renewable water resources) from various wastewater treatment plants
Tucson Water Wheeling Agreement-requested demand projections and housing/commercial developments that will be served by this agreement
Financial Capability-requested clarification of 100% funding mechanism for projected infrastructure projects.
These are all excellent comments/requests and TA will report back when the Response to Notice of Deficiency No. 2 is filed by MW.
DAWS Moving Timeline
Notice of Deficiency No. 2 has delayed ADWR's draft decision until at least 5/28/23 and perhaps longer if more deficiency notices are issued. TA will continue to monitor the situation and keep the community up to speed.