The following column is the opinion and analysis of the writer:
In the arid Southwest, water is our most precious resource. Our economy simply cannot continue growing without a sustainable source of water. Ensuring that every Arizonan has access to a reliable source of drinking water is as much an economic concern as it is a matter of social equity and environmental justice. The Water Quality Assurance Revolving Fund, or WQARF, is an example of how we, as Arizonans, can make investments to guarantee that safe, quality water is available to communities throughout our state, and particularly those who have been historically marginalized.
WQARF, a program administered by the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality, is helping advance critical work to address groundwater contamination in our communities. Last month, ADEQ announced that it would invest $3.3 million of WQARF funds to assess, begin cleanup, and contain per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) contamination in groundwater in central Tucson. The city of Tucson, for its part, has invested over a $1 million testing for PFAS, over $2 million removing PFAS from a part of the city’s water supply, and faces millions more in replacing wells it has already taken out of service due to PFAS contamination.
PFAS compounds have been linked to several serious health conditions, and are commonly used in consumer goods that repel or are resistant to stains, grease and water. They also have been used as a primary ingredient in fire suppression foams used at military air bases, airports, and industrial facilities, including Davis Monthan Air Force Base, the Arizona Air National Guard, and Tucson International Airport, where dangerous levels of PFAS compounds have been found in nearby water wells.
While the affected wells have been taken out of service, they represent a threat to future supplies in the Tucson Central Wellfield, which is the backup water supply for some 600,000 Tucsonans. Tucson’s main source of drinking water is from the Colorado River through the Central Arizona Project.
Studies show that Black, Indigenous and people of color, and low-income families are more likely to live within 5 miles of PFAS contaminated sites, industrial sites, abandoned mines, landfills or congested highways. Access to clean water is just one of several environmental inequities these communities have historically faced, including poor air quality, and low-canopy, heat-stressed neighborhoods, among other conditions that negatively affect public health.
For many long-time residents of Tucson’s southside, the PFAS issue is painfully reminiscent of trichloroethylene (TCE) and 1,4 dioxane contamination — toxic chemicals that also have adverse medical consequences — that was left in the ground from defense industry manufacturers near Tucson International Airport beginning in the late 1940s and 1950s. Many residents developed various forms of cancer, heart ailments and other diseases as a result of TCE exposure. South-side neighbors and environmental justice groups rightfully demanded the cleanup of contaminated water back then and several successfully sued the manufacturers for medical damages.
Tucson Water has been cleaning TCE and 1,4 dioxane for several decades. The city has made tremendous progress and is steadfast in our commitment to continuing the work until our aquifer is free of contaminants. Support from ADEQ, and the full funding of WQARF, is an important component of these efforts. We are grateful for this partnership with ADEQ.
We strongly support Rep. Andrés Cano’s introduction of House Bill 2205 in the Arizona House of Representatives and Senator Peshlakai’s introduction of Senate Bill 1562 to fully fund WQARF. We also applaud Gov. Doug Ducey for including the full funding of WQARF in his proposed budget. Ultimately, the scale and cost of the issue will require federal support. As mayor, I have written to our congressional delegation seeking federal aid.
Promising legislation is moving through Congress with the help of members of our congressional delegation. I also met with the assistant secretary of the Air Force last year at the Pentagon to emphasize the urgency of the situation, especially considering that much of the pollution is connected to federal properties. We look forward to continued work with our federal partners to finding a long-term resolution.
The Central Tucson PFAS project shows how collaboration between the city of Tucson and state government can benefit the larger community by protecting future water supplies, and the people who will be drinking it. More importantly, the WQARF funds will begin to clean up groundwater contamination and address systemic environmental inequities. These are investments in our community that will pay dividends for all Arizonans as well as future generations.
