Tucson Water Turnaround: Crisis to Success

摘要

Twenty-two years before the tragedy in Flint, Michigan, the water department for Tucson, Arizona, (Tucson Water) began delivery of a new water supply: treated surface water from the Central Arizona Project (CAP). The new supply caused a devastating corrosion problem that resulted in red, orange, yellow, and brown water flowing from customer taps. This paper presents the results of an exhaustive investigation into the debacle and chronicles how Tucson Water changed its management practices, restored its lost credibility, ended over pumping of its groundwater, and created a more sustainable water supply for its service area.