Behind the Meter Newsletter Fall 2023

ORO VALLEY WATER UTILITY NEWSLETTER FALL 2023

A MESSAGE FROM OUR DIRECTOR

The Town’s Water Utility turns 27-years old this year. Since 1996 the Town’s population has more than doubled, and the number of water system connections has grown from 9,800 services to over 21,000 services.

Peter Abraham, P.E. Water Utility Director

The water infrastructure required to reliably serve the community, without interruption, includes over 375 miles of pipelines, 26 pump stations, 16 reservoirs, 18 wells, and 4 Central Arizona Project (CAP) water delivery interconnects. These assets are valued at over $107 million and require continuous reinvestments to ensure that the utility can provide you with the reliable and highquality drinking water that you have come to expect from your public water system.

To accomplish this, the Utility has planned a systematic multi-year Capital Improvement Program (CIP). The Utility’s CIP details the five-year scheduling of water infrastructure improvements and expansion projects. The plan aligns with the Town’s planning goals and is based on the Utility’s 2018 Water Master Plan.

The Utility reassesses the CIP goals and how to accomplish those goals each year. The CIP is flexible and can be altered as conditions, funding, priorities, and regulations change. Although capital projects are scheduled throughout a five-year planning horizon, only those projects with activity scheduled during the first year are financed and adopted. All costs associated with the CIP are financed and paid for solely through the water rates and fees that customers pay, and not by taxes or the Town’s General Fund.

Typically, the Utility budgets between $1-3 million for improvements to the Town’s existing water system every year. Beginning in July of 2023, the Utility will be budgeting between $7-$10 million per year for several years for both existing system improvement projects and growth-related projects. The growth-related projects will be funded by impact fees. Most of the growth-related projects are associated with the Northwest Recharge and Recovery Delivery System (NWRRDS). This multi-year project, when completed, will allow the Utility to access stored water resources as well as provide another means to access CAP water.

In closing, with continued comprehensive CIP planning, sufficient infrastructure reinvestments, and a good stewardship of our assets, the Utility’s water infrastructure will continue to reliably supply this vital resource to our community.

Looking forward,

Peter Abraham

Peter A. Abraham, P.E. | Water Utility Director

THE SIZE OF YOUR HOME INFLUENCES YOUR WATER USE.

In Oro Valley, for every 100 square feet of floor space, homes use an average of 9.4 gallons of water per day

Consider full recirculating or under sink systems that provide hot water on demand

While considered more of a convenience, these systems can save some water and money. Although estimates vary, savings show $100 per year and up to 400 gallons per month for a family of four.

The use of electricity to heat water, also requires water. Using a timer on these systems help to save electricity and ultimately water.

Don’t want to purchase a recirculating system? Simply keep a container in a convenient location to capture and re-use this water for plants or other purposes

customers are active on our billing portal with over

This means a 3,000 sqft home uses 141 more gallons of water per day than a home with 1,500 sq. ft. (This average does not take pools or temperature into consideration)

A larger home using more water seems like a “no brainer” but many factors influence customers’ water use. Even small homes have the potential to be high water use.

It may be surprising that the lot size has less influence than home size.

Make sure your home has low flow devices and faucet aerators installed.

2

is the estimated amount of water lost down the drain while waiting for warm water to arrive at kitchen sink or shower

of leaks confirmed by customers over the last year were due to irrigation 42%

Toilet leaks are the second most common type of leak reported

When you consider that outdoor water use makes up to 50-70% of residential customers monthly water use, irrigation and pools are significant contributors