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Mark L. Johnson
Dec 14, 20241 min read
Water Woes XXXV-Rebates & Rates
Marana Water Weather-Based Irrigation Controller Rebate Hats off to Marana Water (MW) for implementing rebates for installing a...
268 views
Mark L. Johnson
Nov 25, 20242 min read
Water Woes XXXIV-Colorado River System-Beyond 2026
The United States Bureau of Reclamation (USBR) released (11/20/24) five alternatives for operating the Colorado River System after 2026. ...
162 views
Mark L. Johnson
Oct 2, 20244 min read
The Secret Plan To Develop The Tortolita Fan
On April 17, 2024, Tortolita Alliance (TA) filed a Public Records Request (P RR) with the Arizona State Land Department (ASLD) for "all...
734 views
Tortolita Alliance
Sep 11, 20241 min read
Water Woes XXXII Cautious Optimism
Tortolita Alliance (TA) attended the Local Drought Impact Group (LDIG) meeting today (9/11/24) via Zoom. LDIG is a bi-monthly gathering...
122 views
Tortolita Alliance
Jun 21, 20242 min read
Water Woes XXXI Agua Veto
Governor Hobbs Vetoes 5 and Signs 3 Water Bills The Arizona legislature approved 8 water bills at the very end of the 2024 legislative...
198 views
Mark L. Johnson
Jun 14, 20245 min read
Water Woes XXX-Open House-Supply v Demand-Population
Marana Water Open House Marana Water held an Open House on Wednesday (5/29/24). It included four presentations; (1) Marana Water...
228 views
Tortolita Alliance
Jun 8, 20247 min read
Tangerine Road Corridor-Part I
Tangerine Road (between I-10 and Dove Mountain Boulevard) parallels the Tortolita Preserve. Therefore, it is critical that we carefully...
520 views
Mark L. Johnson
Jun 1, 20241 min read
Water Woes XXIX-Monsoon Outlook & Colorado River Conditions
Post Monsoon Storm-Double Rainbow-Tortolita Preserve (8/28/21) Monsoon 2024 The monsoon season extends from June 15 through September 30....
317 views
Mark L. Johnson
May 15, 20243 min read
Water Woes XXVIII-Water Info Now Flowing
Snoqualmie Falls-Snoqualmie, WA (4/28/24) On a recent visit with my grandchildren in North Bend, WA, I took them over to Snoqualmie Falls...
204 views
Mark L. Johnson
Apr 14, 20243 min read
Water Woes XXVII-Ebbs & Flows
Glen Canyon Dam (Lake Powell)-photo by Jim Quigley This blog covers several topics concerning Southwest water items including; (1) Local...
204 views
Tortolita Alliance
Apr 11, 20244 min read
Marana Retreat Newsbeat
The Marana Town Council held its annual retreat (2/14-16/2024) in Chandler, AZ---75 miles away from the citizens of Marana!! There is no...
331 views
Tortolita Alliance
Feb 28, 20242 min read
Marana DAWS Modification-ADWR Decision On Objections-Draft Decision & Order and TA Response Letter
Picacho Peak & Full Moon Decision On Objections and Draft Decision & Order The Arizona Department of Water Resources (ADWR) issued a...
238 views
Tortolita Alliance
Feb 16, 20243 min read
Marana DAWS Modification-Objection Letter & Hearing Update
Tortolita Alliance (TA) filed its 6th Public Records Request (PRR) to obtain copies of the Objection Letters and obtain information...
223 views
Mark L. Johnson
Jan 14, 20244 min read
DAWS Flaws
Tony Davis wrote an excellent article regarding the Marana DAWS Modification Application (Application) that headlined in today's Arizona...
376 views
Mark L. Johnson
Jan 6, 20241 min read
Marana Water DAWS Modification-Reminder-Objection Letter
Our Marana In Marana Water DAWS Modification-Part IV-Objection Letter we provided the Background, Revised Public Notice & Objection...
321 views
Mark L. Johnson
Dec 30, 20232 min read
Marana Water DAWS Modification-Part IV-Objection Letter
Our Marana Water is the sustenance of life. We cannot live without it. Yet the Town of Marana-Marana Water (MW) plans to quadruple the...
478 views
Mark L. Johnson
Dec 21, 20231 min read
TA Alert-#2!-Marana Water DAWS Modification Application-Public Notice
Public Notice The public notice (left) requesting written objections to the Marana Water Designated Assured Water Supply (DAWS)...
133 views
Mark L. Johnson
Dec 19, 20232 min read
TA Alert!-Marana Water DAWS Modification Application-Public Comment Period
Application-Public Comment Period Marana Water filed a Designated Assured Water Supply (DAWS) Modification Application on 5/18/22. For...
210 views
Mark L. Johnson
Nov 25, 20231 min read
TA Tidbits #48 One Water Public Comments & No LIV Golf-Tucson (2024)
One Water-Public Comments Arizona Daily Star (Tony Davis) reported recently that many public comments regarding the Tucson Water (TW) One...
351 views
Mark L. Johnson
Oct 4, 20231 min read
Water Woes XXV-Assured Water Supply Committee Comment Letter
In May 2023, Governor Hobbs established the Governor's Water Policy Council and associated Assured Water Supply (AWS) Committee. The...
257 views
Mark L. Johnson
Aug 27, 20232 min read
Tortolita Preserve-Post Storm(s) Report
Tortolita Preserve-After The Monsoon (8/27/23) Hiked the Tortolita Preserve (TP) Main Loop (7 miles) this early this morning. Reports of...
403 views
Mark L. Johnson
Aug 20, 20232 min read
TA Tidbits #45-Mr. Big Stuff, Pygmy Owl, Monsoon & More
Mr. Big Stuff Tortolita Preserve (TP) This huge Sonoran Desert Tortoise paid a visit to a property adjacent to TP near Moore Road and...
307 views
Mark L. Johnson
Jul 9, 20231 min read
Tucson Water Responds
Tortolita Alliance (TA) provided a detailed Comment Letter (6/7/23) regarding the Tucson Water-One Water 2100 Plan-May 2023 Draft (Plan)....
231 views
Mark L. Johnson
Jun 7, 20231 min read
Tucson Water-One Water 2100 Plan Comments
Tortolita Alliance has filed the following comment letter with Tucson Water (TW) this morning regarding TW's One Water 2100 Plan. You can...
241 views
Mark L. Johnson
May 28, 20232 min read
Water Woes XXIII-H2O Medley
The following is a medley of recent H2O developments with the Colorado River, Marana Water and Tucson Water. New-Colorado River...
208 views
Mark L. Johnson
May 14, 20232 min read
Water Woes XXII-Cautious & Frugal
The water situation in the West has improved but it is only one year in a 24-year period whereby the Colorado River reservoir system has...
354 views
Mark L. Johnson
Apr 16, 20234 min read
Water Woes XXI-H2O Hits The Fan
The media has pummeled us lately with plenty of water news. There is one significant Colorado River action that needs review....
354 views
Mark L. Johnson
Mar 22, 20232 min read
Marana Water DAWS Modification Part III-DAWS On Pause
DAWS Process/Status Let's summarize the previous Marana Water (MW) Designated Assured Water Supply (DAWS) Modification blogs: Part...
229 views
Mark L. Johnson
Mar 12, 20232 min read
Water Woes XX-Are We All Wet?
Snowpack (Aqua) Western US (1/22/23)-NASA Satellite Image Tortolita Alliance (TA) has been proactively keeping the community informed of...
300 views
Mark L. Johnson
Mar 8, 20231 min read
TA Alert! Sustainable Landscapes Expo Saturday-March 11
The Annual Sustainable Landscapes Expo will be held this Saturday (3/11/23) from 10:00 AM to 2:00 at the U of A Cooperative Extension...
136 views
Mark L. Johnson
Feb 18, 20233 min read
Smart Irrigation To Save Water
Typically, 50-75% of the water use at a home in the arid southwest goes to outdoor landscape irrigation. Therefore, it is very important...
318 views
Mark L. Johnson
Jan 29, 20239 min read
Marana Water DAWS Modification Part II-Analysis
Introduction The 6-Step Procedure for developing the Designated Assured Water Supply (DAWS) was described in Part I. In Part II, we go...
357 views
Mark L. Johnson
Jan 22, 20233 min read
Marana Water DAWS Modification-Part I Introduction & DAWS Basics
Introduction Marana Water (MW) applied to modify its Designated Assured Water Supply (DAWS) with the Arizona Department of Water...
397 views
Mark L. Johnson
Dec 28, 20229 min read
Water Woes XIX-New Water-Issues & Who Pays?
This blog covers the current state of the Colorado River water supply and the urgent need to develop new sources of water (New Water) to...
459 views
Mark L. Johnson
Dec 4, 20222 min read
TA Reflections & Future
The Beginning The Tortolita Alliance (TA) was formed three years ago in response to efforts by the Town of Marana (Marana) and the...
555 views
Mark L. Johnson
Nov 26, 20222 min read
TA Tidbits # 40-Water, BioBlitz and Crime & Planes
Water Year 2022 Update Tortolita Alliance (TA) attended the Local Drought Impact Group (LDIG) Meeting via Microsoft Team on November 8,...
259 views
Mark L. Johnson
Oct 20, 20223 min read
TA Tidbits #39-Saguaros, BioBlitz & H2O
Tortolita Preserve-Fiery Monsoon Skies Old Growth Sagauro Deaths-Bacterial Infection & Climate Change Strong-arm passed on 8/4/22 and is...
361 views
Mark L. Johnson
Oct 8, 20226 min read
Tucson Water-One Water 2100 Analysis
Tucson Water (TW) is preparing an 80-year Water Master Plan called One Water 2100. This is an update to their previous Water Plan...
442 views
Mark L. Johnson
Jul 31, 20223 min read
Storm-Water-Shed
Upper Wild Burro Canyon Watershed (7/31/22) Hiked the Wild Burro Trail and Alamo Springs Loop Trail early this morning after nice...
358 views
Mark L. Johnson
Jun 15, 20221 min read
Water Woes XVII-Disaster Looming
The Arizona Department of Water Resources (ADWR) issued a press release in response to yesterday's Senate Committee on Energy and Natural...
424 views
Mark L. Johnson
May 11, 20221 min read
Water Woes XVI-Is The Worst Yet To Come?
Tortolita Alliance (TA) attended the Local Drought Impact Group (LDIG) Meeting via Microsoft Team today (May 11, 2022). LDIG is a...
247 views
Mark L. Johnson
May 1, 20221 min read
May Day! May Day! May Day!
The Conjunction Moon, Jupiter & Venus line up early Wednesday (4/27/22) morning over the Tortolita Preserve. Good things come in...
189 views
Mark L. Johnson
Feb 26, 20222 min read
TA Tidbits #35 Petitions, Owls & New Water Agency
Town Council Candidates Need More Signed Petitions Thanks to everyone who have signed the Non-Partisan Nomination Petitions for Patrick...
370 views
Tortolita Alliance
Feb 16, 20222 min read
TA Tidbits #34 Petitions & More
Meet The Change4Marana Candidates-Sign Petitions Patrick Cavanaugh, Mark Johnson and Tim Kosse are running for Marana Town Council as the...
298 views
Mark L. Johnson
Feb 6, 20222 min read
Mark 4 Marana Town Council Campaign
I first came to Marana in 1976 on a cross county RV adventure during my senior year in college. Having grown up in a coastal environment...
1,348 views
Mark L. Johnson
Feb 1, 20222 min read
Water Woes XIV-Pause On DAWS
The following serves as an update to the previously reported Marana Water Designated Assured Water Supply (DAWS) analysis. Remember DAWS...
235 views
Mark L. Johnson
Jan 13, 20222 min read
Water Woes XIII-Short-Term Drought Improvement
The Flats-Wild Mustang Trail Helpful Facts/Hints Blog Images-Just want to remind readers that you can click on any image (photo, graphic,...
223 views
Mark L. Johnson
Dec 18, 20212 min read
TA Tidbits #32-2021 Wrap Up
Night Watch Great Horned Owl keeps watch over the Tortolita Preserve! Tortolita Preserve-Trail Counter Update The Marana Parks &...
320 views
Mark L. Johnson
Dec 11, 20211 min read
Water Woes XII-Kyle Center Colorado River Shortage Interactive Story
The Kyle Center For Water Policy at Arizona State University's (ASU's) Morrison Institute has released an excellent interactive story...
231 views
Mark L. Johnson
Dec 6, 20212 min read
Water Woes XI More Cuts
New 500,000 AFY Colorado River Water Cut First it was the Interim Shortage Guidelines (2007), then the Drought Contingency Plan (DCP)...
311 views
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