Sahuarita council hears public worries about Copper World mining and expands legislative priorities to include Colorado River and data‑center concerns

During the Town of Sahuarita council meeting, a local resident used the 'call to the public' to urge the council to act on potential water and environmental harms from the proposed Copper World mining project, and councilmembers later directed staff to add Colorado River and data‑center issues to the town's draft legislative priorities for 2026.

Rick Corrado told the council the town has been "listening" for too long and urged action. "But I've said it before, copper is not the most precious resource in Southern Arizona. It's water," Corrado said, arguing the proposed Hudbay Copper World project could consume substantial water, harm air quality and alter scenic areas. The council did not vote on mining policy at this meeting; staff said the town will continue gathering information and meeting with state representatives on water matters.

New management analyst Luke Smith presented a draft packet of the town's 2026 legislative priorities organized into active, project‑specific, general and passive categories. Active priorities in the draft included annexation streamlining, workforce housing, sustainable transportation funding, protections for municipal revenue streams, support for 'responsible' mining development with environmental safeguards, recruitment of industrial and high‑tech projects and reuse of formerly used defense sites.

Councilmembers and staff spent significant time discussing water and data‑center impacts. Town staff (Karen) summarized the statewide urgency around rural groundwater management, the Colorado River allocation discussions, and the need for a toolbox to assist rural basins. Councilmembers asked staff to add a standalone Colorado River item and to expand data‑center language to address both energy and water implications; one councilmember suggested amending 'responsible mining' language to explicitly reference responsible use of scarce resources such as water and power.

Luke Smith said staff would refine the draft and return a final priorities packet at the December council meeting; the council also asked the town's legislative contacts to monitor emergent items as the legislative session approaches.

Quotes "The town's legislative priorities should reflect and advance the town's key legislative objectives," Luke Smith told council members as he described the packet structure and next steps.

"There is a sense of urgency to try to get a groundwater management tool passed by the legislature," a staff member (Karen) said, outlining how Colorado River negotiations are driving statewide water policy discussions.

Ending Councilmembers agreed to add Colorado River policy language and to sharpen data‑center and mining language to emphasize responsible use of scarce water and energy resources; staff will return a revised legislative priorities document at the December council meeting for final approval.