Ariz. sides with developer in water-use dispute
PHOENIX — A proposed housing development that opponents say will dry out one of the Southwest’s only free-flowing rivers can take shape after the Arizona Supreme Court ruled Thursday that the developer has proved it has sufficient long-term water supply.
But plaintiffs in the long-standing lawsuit against the Pueblo Del Sol Water Company over its proposed 7,000-home development plan to take the case to federal court.
The project is planned on roughly 2,000 acres in Sierra Vista, about 5 miles from the San Pedro River, which flows north from Sonora, Mexico, for 130 miles to the Gila River. The water resources department approved a permit for the Pueblo del Sol Water Company in 2013.
The ruling by the state’s highest court means that project and other developments can go forward.
“I’m delighted for us and for Sierra Vista. We’re not the enemy. We care about the river, we’ve been working for many years to make sure we do the right thing,” said Rick Coffman, senior vice president of Castle and Cook, the development company, which shares an owner with the water company.
Robin Silver, one of the environmentalists who sued, predicted that the ruling would mean the depletion of the river, which is a critical habitat for millions of birds and is home to over 80 species of animals. The San Pedro riparian area, which includes about 40 miles of the upper part of the river, is a designated national conservation area. “It says that the Arizona Supreme Court doesn’t care about federal water and now the state of Arizona can just do what it does which is work through developers without impediment,” Silver said.