Celebrate Oro Valley: The Oro Valley Water Department

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We never write about the Oro Valley Water Department.  In fact, the only time we ever refer to it is when we complain, which we often do, about the Utility Tax. The Utility Tax is not of their making.

We take water for granted.  Turn on the spigot. Water pours out.  It is clean. It is potable. It is constant.  It is of reasonable pressure.   The Water Department makes this happen.

In Arizona, water is also precious natural resource that requires shepherding.   Promoting sensible water use is a good idea.  Using reclaimed water is a good idea. Replenishing the aquifer is a good idea.   The Oro Valley Water Department does all that and more.

The challenge of doing all this is not a simple one.  Per it's April 2012 Water Utility Commission Annual Report issued in April,  Oro Valley Water:

• served 18,545 (page A-1) metered customers, 95% if which are residential (page A-5)
• delivered 2.4 billion gallons of potable water (page A-1), 59% of which to residential properties (page A-5)
• spent $8.8 million (page 44)
• employed 36 people (page 7)
• generated revenues of $15.3 million (page 43)
• Had the capacity to provide approximately 17,184 acre feet of water ("one acre of water that is 1" deep) per year.  This equals 5.6 trillion gallons of water. 78% of this water can come from the aquifer. 9% can come from CAP.  The rest is from reclaimed water. (page  18). (There are 325,851 gallons in one acre foot of water.)

Oro Valley Water: operates in a reliable, cost effective manner.

Phil Saletta, Water Utility Director, and his team are to be complemented for their hard work on our behalf.

Celebrate, Oro Valley.  We've got one fine water department is a place in the world where water matters!
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