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In the interest of enhancing Tucson's water security, the City Council should begin a community discussion about possibly resuming direct treatment and delivery of Central Arizona Project water to area homes.

Direct delivery, as opposed to the recharge-and-pump system now in place, might give the city more flexibility in dealing with any possible water shortages.

Water is perhaps the most important issue in this desert city. Without water, Tucson simply could not exist.

The use of CAP water is an emotional issue. Tucson tried direct treatment and delivery of CAP water in 1993 — with disastrous results.

The treated CAP water was more corrosive than the groundwater Tucsonans were used to receiving. As a result, the water that arrived at many Tucson homes and businesses was rust-colored, and damaged pipes and water-using appliances. The city was hit with 4,900 damage claims and paid out $1.67 million to compensate for CAP-related problems.

Tucson Water said it solved the CAP treatment problem years ago.

"What we found out was that the method we were using to treat the CAP water was actually making the water more corrosive. . . . We actually exacerbated the problem," said Tucson Water spokesman Mitch Basefsky. "Now we know what we would need to do — primarily by adjusting the pH level of the water and by adding a corrosion inhibitor, something that would further protect pipes, both in the system and in private plumbing."

But the city cannot even consider direct delivery of CAP water because of the Water Consumer Protection Act, an initiative passed by Tucson voters in 1995. The act prohibits the direct delivery of treated CAP water to homes until its quality is equal to or better than that of groundwater.

Right now, CAP water that comes to Tucson is put into the ground at the Clearwater Recharge and Recovery Project in Avra Valley. The CAP water seeps into the earth, mixes with groundwater and is pumped back out again. That's the blended water most Tucsonans receive.

This system has been working well since the facility opened in 2001. Phase II of the Clearwater facility is now being built, which will increase the recharge capacity of the facility from the current 80,000 acre-feet per year to 140,000 acre-feet per year. One acre-foot is about 326,000 gallons.

If the city were to resume direct treatment and delivery of CAP water, it would mean refurbishing and restarting the CAP Water Treatment Plant on West Ajo Way. The facility cost $80 million to build but has been idle since 1994.

Basefsky said rehabilitating the treatment plant would cost money. Tucson Water is studying exactly how much. But if the plant were restarted, the city wouldn't have to build new wells, a pumping station, a pipeline and a reservoir at Clearwater Phase II. Those Clearwater funds would simply be transferred to the Ajo plant, Basefsky said.

Meanwhile, there would be potential benefits from reopening the Ajo plant, such as:

● Giving the city greater flexibility in using CAP water. The water could be recharged or treated directly before going to homes.

● Freeing up recharge capacity at the Clearwater facility. If less water is pumped out for residential use, more will remain to replenish the aquifer. With the Clearwater facillity and another recharge basin just south of Tucson, the city will also soon be able to store its annual CAP allotment of 144,000 acre-feet.

● Possible savings for Tucson Water customers if rate increases can be minimized or delayed. However, Basefsky said, it is not known yet if ratepayers would save money.

The City Council should not make a decision on direct treatment and delivery of CAP water without public input. The Water Consumer Protection Act may or may not still be in effect. Basefsky said there are some informal legal opinions that it may have expired. But whether the act is valid or not, Tucsonans deserve to be heard on this issue because they will have to live with the water.

"Any decision about turning the treatment plant back on is definitely something we would want to discuss with our customers," Basefsky said. "I don't want people to think Tucson Water is moving ahead with this in the absence of a public discussion."

If direct treatment and delivery of CAP water resumes, customers must know it will be done correctly. No one wants a repeat of 1993.