Application-Public Comment Period
Marana Water filed a Designated Assured Water Supply (DAWS) Modification Application on 5/18/22. For the past 19 months, the Arizona Department of Water Resurces (ADWR) has been reviewing the Application. ADWR has requested additional information regarding the Application via a series of Deficiency Letters and Marana Water has responded to these Deficiency Letters. Now ADWR has deemed the application complete and is ready to make a decision but will first request public comment on the Application. ADWR will notice the public comment period on 12/21/23 and again on 12/28/23. The public will have only 15 days (1/12/24) after the 12/28/23 notice to file comments on the Application.
No worries, Tortolita Alliance (TA) has monitoring the process and provided periodic updates over the last 19 months. TA will have a comment letter ready as soon after the public comment period is published.
Non-Transparent Process
This Application is a big deal as it impacts the future of water supply for the Town of Marana and the growth of our community. Yet the process is non-transparent. The only way to get information is to file Public Record Requests (PRRs). TA had to file 3 PRRs with Marana and 5 PRRs with ADWR over the last 19 months. None of the referenced Deficiency Letters or responses are readily available on the ADWR or Marana websites and there have been no public meetings to review this information.
Now after 19 months, the public is allowed only 15 days to comment on this Application. If TA had not filed the PRRs, the community would have little knowledge of the documents and communication that occurred between ADWR and Marana Water over the last 19 months.
This is shameful. I have never seen such a failure of the public input process in 50 years of working with water resource agencies.