David Modeer is credited with turning around a chaotic utility.

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Tucson Water Director David Modeer takes Phoenix job

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Tucson Water Director David Modeer is leaving the city to become the Water Department director for the city of Phoenix, officials from both cities said Thursday.

Modeer has been the head of Tucson Water since 1998, coming into the job after Tucson Water was left a shambles in the mid-1990s after delivering treated Central Arizona Project water that damaged pipes and appliances in people's homes.

He has been widely praised for turning around the department, which had been considered a rudderless ship and an embarrassment.

Modeer said he wants to work another 10 years in the water-services business, and he felt he would be tempted to retire by Tucson's early-retirement benefits program if he had stayed here. Modeer said that once he became aware of the open position, he thought, "I'd be silly not to put my name in."

His Tucson Water employees are what he will miss most, he said, adding that they have given more to him than he has given to them. He called Tucson Water a great resource that "might not be fully appreciated by the community."

He won't miss some of Tucson's politics, including the numerous water initiatives during his tenure. He said City Council politics have made it tough to raise water rates by even very small amounts.

"I've not always enjoyed all of the politics; that's certainly true," Modeer said, citing water initiatives such as 2007's Proposition 200, which would have prohibited water derived from effluent from ever being delivered to Tucson Water customers and prevented new water connections once growth outstripped the reliable water supply.

Modeer's last day with the city will be in mid-April. He said he expects to start in Phoenix by May. Modeer made $150,000 annually in Tucson and will make $160,000 in Phoenix.

He acknowledged the change in Tucson Water during his tenure, saying the utility was given no respect in the mid-1990s and now is respected throughout the country.

In the mid-1990s, the city suspended all CAP deliveries because the project was delivering rusty, smelly and foul-tasting water to many homes. Residents blamed the water for destroying pipes and other plumbing fixtures. The city's debacle in delivering blended CAP water led to the dismissal of two water directors and caused voters to approve an initiative banning direct delivery of CAP water and requiring that it be recharged into the aquifer.

In 1999, after passions had been calmed somewhat by an ad campaign featuring a reassuring Modeer, voters approved a change that paved the way for delivery of blended CAP and groundwater to homes.

Under Modeer's direction, Tucson Water was able to implement the plan without the missteps of the early 1990s.

"He's done a tremendous job restoring confidence in a utility that had suffered from the delivery of CAP," City Manager Mike Hein said. "I'm glad he'll be remaining in the state representing Arizona interests."

City Councilwoman Shirley Scott, who was on the council when Modeer came to the city 10 years ago, said Tucson is losing a nationally recognized department head.

"I'm sorry that someone of his stature is leaving," Scott said. "To lose that knowledge and that expertise is going to have an impact. Prior to his arrival, there were some very serious blunders by former water directors. We have not had that with David Modeer and company."

David Cavazos, Phoenix's deputy city manager, said Modeer was deemed the top candidate after a national search. Cavazos said Modeer's 10 years of experience at Tucson Water and his previous seven years' experience as a vice president of Pennsylvania American Water Co. made him the top pick.

Cavazos said Phoenix has not had a full-time water director in nearly two years. Modeer will oversee 1,450 employees in Phoenix, and his department has a $265 million budget.