Where: Pima County, Arizona

Problem: Small water systems lack the revenue to maintain and operate their systems properly.

Solution: RCAC works with communities to conduct water rate studies and help systems ensure they secure adequate revenue.

Rancho del Conejo Community Water Co-Op, Inc. (RCCWC) serves a small colonia of approximately 900 people in the Saguaro National Park area near Tucson, Arizona.

Water in the region naturally contains arsenic and the system has long struggled to collect sufficient revenue to cover its operating expenses, let alone make necessary repairs. RCCWC’s treatment plant was on the brink of failure before the system began working with Rural Community Assistance Corporation (RCAC).

Since connecting with RCAC, the community has worked with Rural Development Specialists Raul Vazquez and Karl Pennock to complete an emergency application to the Water Infrastructure Financing Authority to obtain a $48,750 grant. The grant would cover the needed repairs to the treatment plant to maintain compliance with the arsenic standard.

Vazquez and Pennock continue to work with the RCCWC to implement a new rate structure that will cover operational costs and fund capital reserves so there are funds available for future repairs.

Also in this issue of Network News:

Little Colorado Meats brings farm-to-table benefits, food justice to struggling family ranches
Arizona’s Round Valley is home to Apache County’s twin communities of Eagar and Springerville. Just 15 miles from the state’s border with New Mexico, the sister cities are the self-proclaimed “Gateway to the White Mountains.” Eagar-Springerville borders the oasis-like Apache-Sitgreaves National Forest, which contains diverse ecosystems, abundant fishing streams, dozens of lakes, hundreds of mountains and part of the world’s largest contiguous Ponderosa pine forest. The Little Colorado River slashes through the valley, bringing milky, sediment-rich snowmelt and runoff to the greater Colorado River.