Friends of Flagstaff’s Future update for Aug. 23

Do you support or oppose recycling reclaimed water for drinking? Why?
Regina Salas: I support water conservation. I would seek comprehensive scientific studies on the viability and safety of recycling reclaimed water for drinking. I also would like to see related environmental and economic impact studies, what and how much it would cost to implement such undertaking.

Alex Martinez: Currently state legislation prohibits the use of using recycled water for human consumption. I do not support the use of recycled water for drinking.

Paul Deasy: Flagstaff currently has the Adequate Water Supply Designation, which means we have proven to have over 100 years of water supply for our population and projected growth. Drinking repurified water isn’t something we’ll need to do in the next 4 years or even 20, but inevitably most of the US will have to go to it out of necessity. Orange County, California is already doing so. When it comes to necessity, repurified water is better than the alternative—no water.

Adam Shimoni: I support innovative ways to recycle reclaimed water. I would like to see the city expand its reclaimed water infrastructure to better use this precious resource. A shortage of potable water could be a large threat to Flagstaff in the future. I don’t support further investment in Red Gap Ranch. Therefore, I support finding ways to purify reclaimed water. I would also advocate for implementing a guiding policy for use of potential reclaimed and recycled water, which we currently don’t have.

Dennis K Lavin: I do not support recycled reclaimed waste water for our drinking purposes, at the moment. As I understand our water usage strategy, we are reclaiming quite a bit of our water for our parks, etc. Actually, I heard that we do not have enough existing waste water to recycle. In any event, the City has scheduled a meeting with the various Department Leaders, I will to continue to learn more about our water systems and usage.

Austin Aslan: I would love to support this, but I question the trade-off of striving to use reclaimed water as potable water. There remain many issues and emerging concerns with contaminants in reclaimed water. I think a better approach would be to focus on the availability of reclaimed water for every other use, especially outside uses including yards and gardens and restoring riparian corridors. That should be the priority, but along the way we should be open to revisiting the science of converting reclaimed water to drinking water as it gets safer and less energy-costly and more viable in the public eye.

Mayor Coral Evans: I support the reuse of reclaimed water for drinking. I was excited early this year (2018) when the Flagstaff City Council authorized the funding to conduct an Advanced Treatment Feasibility Study to evaluate what it would take to implement a full advanced treatment that would allow us to reuse/drink our reclaimed water. I think that it is very important that we recognize and acknowledge our reclaimed water as a viable alternative to potable water (for drinking purposes) in the future.

Do you support or oppose having our limited local water resources be taken into consideration when planning for growth and development in Flagstaff? Why?
Regina Salas: It’s imperative to take into consideration how future growth and development will affect and impact our City’s water resources. We can find solutions by working in a thoughtful and collaborative way, bringing all stakeholders to the table early and asking for input and advice often. If elected, I would engage Northern Arizona leaders on conversation about conservation measures to ensure that we can be respectful stewards of this precious resource while living up to the responsibilities of our citizens. I would also make sure that City Council participate in briefings provided by state water leaders for better understanding of water issues.

Alex Martinez: Water resources are vital to every aspect of our lives whether it is personal or commerce. I fully endorse taking water resources into consideration for planning long term and short term growth. Climate change and usage are going to determine if we grow and what quality of life we will live

Paul Deasy: I think it would be irresponsible not to take water resources into consideration when planning for growth and development. We may want to consider putting water resource requirements straight into our zoning codes like they have in other cities in Arizona.

Adam Shimoni: Yes, I support taking our water resources into consideration when planning for growth and development. If Flagstaff plans for adequate water usage in its development it helps guarantee a sustainable community in the high desert for decades. Many more arid climates are beginning to face water crisis. I stand for working with developers, businesses, and homeowners to establish conservation standards that will help reduce and conserve our water consumption. I hope to look to other similar cities in how they’ve reached success in continued growth with conservative water use.

Dennis K Lavin: I absolutely believe that our precious water resources should be considered in our development plans. We are blessed at the moment and should be watchful as to how we management this resource. As a Community we should attempt to conserve and reduce unnecessary water usage. I would suggest that we continue to replace aging water/sewer pipes that have served the Community for many, many years. In any event, the City has scheduled a meeting with the various Department Leaders. I will to continue to learn more about our water systems and usage.

Austin Aslan: I absolutely support it!!! We live in the arid Southwest, but much of our development and many of our residents (including students) fail to keep that in mind when they use water resources. We absolutely must consider water conservation as a top priority when any growth and development is approved. The City already works to verify that new developments can claim 100 years of water availability, but those calculations rely on snowpack that we know is becoming increasingly unreliable. We must err on the side of caution. This is a matter of survival for our City and way of life.

Mayor Coral Evans: I was a member of council when we voluntarily adopted state-level water adequacy standards and placed additional regulations on our city regarding water resources related to growth and development (that includes planning for 100 years into the future, metering all water use and conservation requirements). I believe that our Regional Plan, Zoning Code and Comprehensive Water Policy should be directly linked/connected through a transparent community process. I believe by doing so there will be a better understanding of what the city is currently doing and what still needs to be done to ensure long-term sustainability for our city.