MARANA- Officials with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency made a stop in the Town of Marana to highlight the historic efforts to protect communities around the country from PFAS or “forever chemicals” in their drinking water.

On Thursday, May 2, 2024, EPA Regional Administrator Martha Guzman joined Tohono O'odham Nation representatives, Arizona Department of Environmental Quality CEO Karen Peters, Water Infrastructure Finance Authority of Arizona (WIFA) Board Member Tim Thomure, as well as community leaders in Southern Arizona for a press event at the Marana Picture Rock Water Treatment Campus (WTC).

Marana has been at the forefront of water treatment to keep PFAS from contaminating our water. In August of 2018, Town of Marana Council made a unanimous decision to pursue the design and construction of a water treatment facility for each of the two impacted systems in Marana Water found to contain unregulated compounds (PFAS & 1,4-dioxane). Construction of both Water Treatment Campuses (Picture Rocks – Continental Reserve Area, & Airline/Lambert – Saguaro Bloom Area) began in January 2020 and became operational in 2021.

“We recognize that the Town of Marana is one of many communities that are impacted by these compounds and that throughout the region and within the state and throughout the nation, a number of water providers are going to be challenged to be able to meet the new requirements,” said Marana’s Deputy Town Manager Erik Montague. “That will require us to continue to work cooperatively with outside agencies to help identify some of the challenges related to funding and project delivery and we’re very appreciative of the initial outreach and what we’ve seen thus far from the administration for initial funding for some of these projects that we will need in the future, but we are well positioned to meet this going forward.”

“We’re celebrating another mark for both the congressional leadership here in Arizona on the senate and the house side to help lead the support on the bipartisan Infrastructure Law that dedicated $9 billion dollars that funded infrastructure like the drinking water systems here today,” said EPA Regional Administrator Martha Guzman.

EVENT SPEAKERS:

Martha Guzman, EPA Regional Administrator
Ed Honea, Mayor of Marana
Karen Peters, Director, Arizona Department of Environmental Quality
Tim Thomure, Member, Water Infrastructure Finance Board
John P. Kmiec, Director, Tucson Water
Joseph Olsen, General Manager, Metropolitan Domestic Water Improvement District
Robert Jaramillo, TIAA Unified Community Advisory Board, Tucson Citizens Water Advisory Council (TWAC)