Global Water tells Sahuarita council it secured a 100‑year assured water supply for core service area

Global Water Resources told the Sahuarita Town Council that the company has a designation of assured water supply for the Farmers Water Company service area and outlined near‑term infrastructure work intended to protect drinking water quality and system resiliency.

"We proved up a 100‑year supply," said Jake Lender King, Global Water’s water resources lead, describing the Department of Water Resources’ (ADWR) regional groundwater modeling and the agency’s review process. King said the company’s designation covers 536 acre‑feet per year for the utility area and contrasted a utility‑level designation with the smaller, subdivision‑level certificates other developers use.

Regional manager Eric Burkan reviewed 2025 work — well rehabilitations, pump replacements and emergency backup power for a distribution center — and said the company is completing design for a uranium removal treatment system, with construction expected later in the year. Burkan also described a phased approach to improving fireflow capacity over 5–20 years to avoid sudden rate shocks; Global Water estimated a full, immediate fireflow build‑out could run in the tens of millions of dollars if done all at once.

Council members repeatedly asked whether Hudbay’s permitted groundwater pumping — cited by some public commenters as roughly 6,000 acre‑feet per year — had been included in the DAWS groundwater model. King said inclusion depends on permit timing and modeling inputs and agreed to research the matter and report back. "To the extent that some of their water was already being pumped, that would be in the model," he said; "I will come back with specifics." Global Water emphasized that the DAWS determination was based on physical groundwater modeling reviewed by ADWR.

The company also described an administrative change that will affect how replenishment charges are billed: where individual certificates historically led to a property‑tax charge for replenishment, the designation of assured water supply will roll that replenishment obligation into water bills handled by the utility.

Global Water said it plans a rate review in 2027, with consolidated billing across several service companies proposed to broaden the rate base and provide more flexibility for capital spending; new rates would take effect in late 2028 if the review proceeds on schedule.

Council asked Global Water to clarify whether Hudbay permits were included in the ADWR model that supported the company’s DAWS and to return with documentation. The town also pressed the company on contingency planning for uranium treatment, interconnections to bolster redundancy, and the timeline and public outreach for planned rate changes.

Next steps: Global Water agreed to follow up on whether Hudbay’s permits were included in the modeling and to provide more detail on the uranium treatment schedule and the phased fireflow plan; council directed staff to coordinate any requested follow‑up information.