The Water: More Precious Than Gold is the name of a joint conservation program cooperatively developed between Gold Canyon Community Incorporated (GCCI) and Arizona Water Company (AWC).  Water resources are critical to the future of the community. Through Water: More Precious than Gold, GCCI and AWC will educate Gold Canyon residents on where their water comes from, provide tips and information on how residents can conserve water, and also provide resources for commercial water users to make sure they are conserving water as well. Water: More Precious than Gold will also create an opportunity for residents to share their knowledge and tips on how to use water more efficiently.  Through this program, GCCI and AWC hope to maintain and even strengthen the water conservation ethic in Gold Canyon.

The program started when members of GCCI reached out to the water utility serving Gold Canyon, Arizona Water Company (AWC), and asked AWC to present on the water resources at one of GCCI’s monthly meetings. During that presentation, the subject of water conservation was discussed and GCCI expressed an interest in exploring a water conservation program for Gold Canyon.  As a part of the process of developing the conservation program, GCCI and AWC reached out to residents to vote on the logo for the program. As the program is developed, GCCI and AWC will continue to reach out to residents in Gold Canyon to create a program that truly reflects the values and characteristics of the community.

The Water: More Precious Than Gold program has a Facebook page where every month, a new water conservation topic is covered and information along with water conserving tips will be provided so that Gold Canyon residents can discover new ways to conserve water. The Facebook page also allows residents to share their own conservation tips with the entire community. The program also has a commercial water user element to help large scale water users save water. Finally, the program provides water use audits for HOA common areas, resorts, and other commercial properties so that everyone can do their part to save water for Gold Canyon.

Absolutely! Water conservation staff would be happy to present at HOA meetings about the Water: More Previous than Gold program and about water resources generally. Residents can also send a direct message to the Water: More Precious than Gold Facebook page or email [email protected] with any water use related topics that they would like to see tips and information on.

The Water: More Precious than Gold program is a conservation program created to help the residents and business of Gold Canyon use water more efficiently so Gold Canyon will always have enough water to create the quality of life the community desires in a way that’s sustainable.  The program does not delineate between residents and businesses that have lived or existed in Gold Canyon since its inception or residents and businesses that have yet to arrive.  Everyone is expected to use water wisely.  Decisions about development or growth are made through the land entitlement process administered by the Pinal County Board of Supervisors. For more information on development in Pinal County, please visit the County’s website at www.pinalcountyaz.gov/Pages/Home.aspx

The Arizona Department of Water Resources administers an Assured and Adequate Assured Water Supply Program to address the problem of limited groundwater supplies in Arizona. This program evaluates the availability of a 100-year water supply considering current and committed demand as well as growth projections. Before recording plats or selling parcels in Gold Canyon, developers must demonstrate that certain criteria have been met. There are seven criteria:

1. The water must be physically available
2. The water must be continuously available for a 100-year period
3. The water must be legally available for use in the subdivision
4. The water must be of adequate quality
5. The water provider and those developing the subdivision must be financially capable of constructing the required infrastructure to serve water
6. The water provider must comply with applicable conservation requirements
7. The water supply must be consistent with safe yield

This last criterion is very important because developers are required to provide a renewable water supply to meet the demands of any new subdivision.  Once this criterion has been, ADWR issues an assured water supply determination.