Am I Receiving The Clearwater Blend At My Tap?
For several years, the Clearwater blend will be very similar to the groundwater most of our customers have been using. The blend will also mix repeatedly with groundwater from other sources as it flows from the Clearwater facility to customer taps. Because of this, there is no way to use water quality characteristics to “track” the Clearwater supply as it flows through the drinking water system.
The primary purpose of using the blend of recharged Colorado River water and groundwater is to allow the City to shut down wells in central Tucson that are causing groundwater declines and contributing to subsidence. Because of this, the blend will first be directed into those areas of town where these wells are located — mostly in central Tucson. In 2001, more than 25 wells are scheduled to be put in “stand-by” mode. They will be shut off, but will be kept ready for use to meet any emergencies. This will allow the groundwater levels to begin to recover naturally. Any of the blend that is not used up in the area where the wells have been put on stand-by will flow or be pumped wherever it is needed to meet customer demand or to fight fires.
In 2001, an average of 18 million gallons a day (MGD) of the Clearwater blend will flow into the Tucson Water system. During the summer months, when average daily demand for water is around 130 MGD, the water supply from Clearwater will be used up relatively quickly, before it can spread very far across our service area. During the winter months, when average daily demand is less than 80 MGD, the blended water will spread over a much wider area.
By 2003, the amount of water recovered at the Clearwater facility will rise to 54 MGD, about ½ of Tucson Water's annual supply. As we use this new supply, more than 50 additional wells in central Tucson can be put on stand-by. During the winter of 2003, the blend will spread over most of our main drinking water system, mixing with other groundwater as it spreads, and almost all of our customers will receive water that includes some of the Clearwater blend.
The map below shows the primary areas where the Clearwater blend will be released into the system in 2001.
