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City officials want to scale back a proposed 10 percent hike in water rates, but environmentalists fear the savings will come from scrimping on recommended water-conservation programs.

The City Council learned last month that slow water sales and a lack of new construction activity have drained Tucson's budget, leaving Tucson Water with a projected $14 million shortfall next year.

The council will take the first step in raising water rates on Tuesday.

But seeing a potential ratepayer backlash from a 10 percent increase, City Manager Mike Hein ordered Tucson Water to drop the increase to 8 percent.

Now the council is feeling heat from conservationists because it has funded only 25 percent of water-saving measures laid out by a task force.

Fully funding the conservation measures would hike rates by about 1.5 percent, putting them back at almost the 10 percent level the manager ordered cut.

The measures include rebates for low-flow toilets, incentives for using "gray water," retrofitting older homes to current standards when they're sold, rebates for upgrading irrigation systems in multifamily housing, and rebates for waterless urinals, among others.

Given all the community debate about conserving water last fall, when voters were considering Proposition 200, many conservationists said the city's 25 percent funding of the measures rings particularly hollow.

The ballot initiative, which would have severely limited city use of reclaimed water and cut off new water connections when growth outstrips the reliable water supply, was soundly defeated in November.

Politicians and developers talked about how that campaign changed the political climate and would lead to grand discussions on growth, water planning and conservation.

A group of conservationists plans to attend Tuesday's council meeting to protest the fact the conservation budget is being funded for only $500,000 instead of the $2.1 million recommended.

"People should be asking questions," said Carolyn Campbell, executive director of the Coalition for Sonoran Desert Protection.

Campbell said the task force worked for two years on the recommendations and now they aren't being carried out by Tucson Water. "What was the purpose of that?" she asked.

"They seem not to listen to their committees," Campbell said of the city. "I don't understand why someone would want to be on them."

Jack Kelly, a member of the conservation task force, said it was a long, drawn-out process that ended with the recommendations not being implemented because water rates are a political and economic issue.

That struggle is symbolized by Councilman Rodney Glassman, who campaigned on water conservation heavily during his campaign in November.

Now Glassman says, "We have to be sensitive to the fact that the water supply is affordable and sustainable," but he adds, "water rates should be as low as possible."

After new water rates are approved, Glassman said he wants to start a community discussion of how to fund all $2.1 million in the conservation budget.

Hein said even though it seems counterintuitive, there is an inverse relationship between conservation and water.

"If you use less, the system has to make more (money) to cover the cost," Hein said. "That's not necessarily a bad thing."

Councilwoman Karin Uhlich said conservation versus rate increases is a tough choice, but she said she's happy the council is finally talking about water conservation after years of not doing so.