Since the Town (under the leadership of Mayor Winfield and Town Manager, Mary Jacobs) will not voluntarily report all the financial information, I have had to utilize the “Public Records Request” format to uncover the water usage being used by the two 18-hole courses.
The cost to water 36 holes of golf
La Canada Course: Each 18-hole course irrigation is fed from a lake on each course. As you travel north on La Canada, the lake just to the east of the road as you approach the Community Center is the source of water for the La Canada course. Water bill payments from July 2020 – November 2020 reveal that this course consumed 77,358,000 gallons of reclaimed water at a cost of $225,951. (The water usage was the 5 months from May 28 – October 28).
Conquistador Course: The water source for the Conquistador course is found on the fifth hole. During the same 5-month timeframe, the Conquistador course consumed 88,604,000 gallons of reclaimed water at a cost of $258,488.
This total of $484,439 includes not only the cost of water, but State and local taxes, groundwater preservation fees, superfund tax, and a 4% utility tax. This is, however, the amount of money the Town is spending to water the 36-hole complex.
The reclaimed water argument
You might also want to read what is happening to the Colorado River water, its usage, and the ramifications we will experience from the ongoing drought. CAP water is a source of (1) recharging the aquifer, and (2) reclaimed water. But our CAP water is dwindling as the drought continues. Therefore, when CAP water from the Colorado River runs low, so will our reclaimed water. When that happens, should we pour our reclaimed water on our golf courses or on our food supply (our agricultural fields)?
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Mike Zinkin and his wife have lived in Oro Valley since 1998. He served on the Oro Valley Development Review Board from 2005-2009, the Board of Adjustment from 2011-2012, and the Town Council from 2012-2016. He was named a Fellow for the National League of Cities. He was a member of the NLC Steering Committee for Community and Economic Development and a member of the Arizona League of Cities Budget and Economic Development Committee. He was an Air Traffic Controller for 30 years. Mike has a Bachelor’s degree in history and government from the University of Arizona and a Master’s degree in Social and Philosophical Foundations of Education from California State University, Northridge.
Mike Zinkin and his wife have lived in Oro Valley since 1998. He served on the Oro Valley Development Review Board from 2005-2009, the Board of Adjustment from 2011-2012, and the Town Council from 2012-2016. He was named a Fellow for the National League of Cities. He was a member of the NLC Steering Committee for Community and Economic Development and a member of the Arizona League of Cities Budget and Economic Development Committee. He was an Air Traffic Controller for 30 years. Mike has a Bachelor’s degree in history and government from the University of Arizona and a Master’s degree in Social and Philosophical Foundations of Education from California State University, Northridge.
