On December 8, 2021, I sent an email to the entire Town Council delineating the monthly drinking water usage for 2021 at the Pusch Ridge 9-hole golf course. The total was 34,608,000 gallons.
Ten million gallons of drinking water were used in October
The bill due 11/24/21 indicated drinking water usage of 10,382,000 gallons for the month of October. I wrote to the Water Utility to question if I was reading the bill correctly since October drinking water usage was about 4 – 5 times the amount of normal monthly usage. The response I received was “The [drinking] water increase was due to the over-seeding process and watering of the seed.” The cost of over-seeding was $37,367.16 of your tax money.
The mayor’s response
When I informed the Mayor/Council, in an earlier communication, that the drinking water usage at Pusch Ridge for the bill due 12/22/21 was 4,045,000 gallons, the response from Mayor Winfield was: “The Council by a 6 to 1 vote agreed to operate the Pusch Ridge Golf Course for three years. We are in the first of a three year commitment. The course is operated in the cooler months of the year to reduce water consumption.“
Stop wasting drinking water
Let me put the total usage of 34,608,000 is perspective. The average home in Oro Valley uses 7,000 gallons a month, or 84,000 gallons a year (7,000 x 12). This means that the amount of drinking water wasted on the Pusch Ridge course in 2021, is enough to service over 412 homes a year (34,608,000 divided by 84,000). The complete Silverhawk development along First Ave is only 215 homes.
There are real issues with the CAP drinking water and Colorado River allotments. However, the Pusch Ridge course irrigation uses drinking water, not reclaimed water or CAP water.
Take action
We (me and you) need to scream at the council: "STOP THE DRINKING WATER WASTE." “Kicking the can” down the road to another council is simply not acceptable.
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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.
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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.
