Pinal water authority briefs Florence council on modeling, cloud-seeding pilot and revenue-bond language in legislature
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Summary
Joe Singleton of the Pinal County Water Augmentation Authority reviewed groundwater-model analysis, an ag-to-urban credit concept, cloud-seeding pilot results and a pending bill to modernize the authority's bonding language. He estimated conservative modeled cloud-seeding yields and acknowledged notification shortcomings during the pilot.
Florence — Joe Singleton, representing the Pinal County Water Augmentation Authority, briefed the Florence Town Council on Feb. 17 about regional water-planning work that touches assured water supply rules, agricultural-to-urban credit programs and a cloud-seeding pilot.
Singleton said the authority engaged consultants to analyze the 2019 groundwater model and submitted recommended changes to the Arizona Department of Water Resources. He described ADAS (an alternative path under assured-water-supply rules) and a pilot program called ag-to-urban that seeks credits for permanent relinquishment of agricultural groundwater rights subject to irrigation-history criteria.
On cloud seeding, Singleton said the authority ran a feasibility study about 2½–3 years ago and initiated a pilot during the previous monsoon season (July–September). Using conservative adjustments to monitoring-data acreage, he estimated a modeled yield near 34,000 acre-feet and said the operator’s cost in the pilot worked out to under $6.50 per acre-foot. He acknowledged that public notification during the pilot was insufficient and said the authority will improve outreach procedures.
Singleton also reported the authority is pursuing a statutory amendment to modernize its revenue-bonding language after bond counsel flagged outdated text; that bill had cleared committees and was awaiting floor action at the time of his presentation.
Council members asked follow-up questions about cloud-seeding effectiveness, notice to the public, desalination prospects and how any future dam modifications could deliver water; Singleton said the authority will share final reports and follow up with staff contact points.
Direct quote "I got to about 34,000 acre feet... and I think the cost for what we had to pay the cloud seeding operator all in still came out to under $6.50 an acre foot," — Joe Singleton.
Ending Singleton offered to answer technical questions and directed council members to the authority’s final reports online for details; staff said they would share those links with council members.
