Proposed Commemorative Naming of Tucson Water's South Houghton Area Recharge Project (SHARP)


Tucson Water has recommended the commemorative naming of the Southeast Houghton Area Recharge Project (SHARP) to honor the distinguished service of former Ward 4 Council Member Shirley Scott.


The City of Tucson invites your feedback on the proposed renaming of this facility, via form at the bottom of this page. Comments must be submitted by October 22, 2021. City staff will incorporate this feedback, as well as input from stakeholders in making a recommendation to the Mayor and Council for consideration at their meeting of November 9, 2021.

About SHARP:

(from Tucson Water's website) As the newest addition to the reclaimed water system, SHARP allows Tucson Water to recharge and store recycled water into our aquifer – a maximum capacity of 1.3 billion gallons of water/year. But SHARP is much more than a working recharge facility! Visitors will enjoy its 40 acres of desert landscape to walk, cycle, take photos, walk a dog, relax under a ramada, enjoy water in basins (seasonally), and more.

SHARP’s three recharge basins, walking/running trails, and mountain bike trail sit on city-owned property, west of Houghton Road at 9900 East Drexel Road. It’s an active recharge facility constructed to be in harmony with surrounding desert, offering recreation, amenities, and education about water resources, conservation, and environmental stewardship. Here’s more about SHARP’s three main goals:


Storing Recycled Water in the Aquifer: SHARP’s primary purpose is to replenish the aquifer by expanding recharge capacity for storage and future use. Here is how recharge happens: a remote automated system releases recycled water from the Houghton Reclaimed Reservoir to flow into a SHARP recharge basin. This water soaks into the soil, into the aquifer that’s 350 feet underground, where it is stored.

  • Three recharge basins totaling 6.8 acres; one potential future basin
  • Basin recharge occurs during cooler months when there is less demand for irrigation with reclaimed water
  • Basins can infiltrate up to seven feet of water/day
  • Maximum recharge capacity: 1.3 billion gallons of recycled water/year

Recreation and Amenities: SHARP offers 1.6 miles of two-way walking/running trails around basins including an ADA compliant path. A single-track mountain biking trail—part of the larger Fantasy Island Trails system—hugs the edges of the property. Other amenities include:

  • Three ramadas with picnic tables
  • Bike racks
  • Benches beside basins
  • Restrooms & a water station at the main entrance
  • Over 1500 low water use desert plants, including 500 trees -- irrigated with reclaimed and rainwater

Water Resource Education: Visitors will find interpretative signs about water resources and how SHARP works. Two ramadas feature active and passive rainwater harvesting systems with small rain gardens. SHARP also includes three drywells to capture and study different types of stormwater runoff, its quality, its infiltration rate, and its potential uses.

Tucson Water's Recommendation

Tucson Water wishes to recommend the commemorative naming of the Southeast Houghton Area Recharge Project (SHARP) to honor the distinguished service of former Councilmember Shirley Scott.


Background

During her six terms and 24 years on the Tucson City Council, Shirley Scott faithfully served her Ward 4 constituents and represented the City’s interests on the regional and national stage. Council Member (CM) Scott championed private and public investments throughout Ward 4. Her many policy and initiative successes on behalf of her constituents included expansion of the William Clements Recreation Center, balanced and planned growth in the Houghton Road area, construction of Mary Ann Cleveland Way, increased safety for Vail School District students, and increased neighborhood protection and public safety services. Residents across the City were well-served by CM Scott’s leadership in securing sustainable water supplies for the Tucson region, her role as host of the annual Back to School Bash, her support for Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, her efforts to spearhead the City of Tucson’s first solar-powered building, and her representation of Mayor and Council on the Tucson Airport Authority Board of Directors. As a member of the Board of Directors for the National League of Cities, CM Scott was a further advocate for the City’s interests, and for the strength and stability of local governments nationwide.


Tucson Water’s SHARP facility, which began operation in November 2020, is located on 40 acres of City-owned property in Ward 4 west of Houghton Road and south of Drexel Road. SHARP augments Tucson Water’s existing reclaimed infrastructure on the City’s east side by providing additional capacity for the recharge and storage of reclaimed water. The facility is permitted to recharge 4,000 acre-feet per year (AFY) of reclaimed water, with potential future expansion to 8,000 AFY. In addition to its function as a recharge facility, SHARP also incorporates elements of water-cycle education and recreation, including 1.6 miles of trails throughout the site, ramadas featuring educational signs, and parking for school buses. More than 500 native and desert-adapted trees have been planted on site. The parking lot and the existing reclaimed reservoir at the site are configured for water harvesting, and captured rainwater will be routed to dry wells for recharge monitoring. Tucson Water anticipates that the SHARP facility will become a popular community destination and a valuable component of the City’s sustainable water future.

The commemorative naming of Tucson Water’s SHARP facility is an appropriate recognition of Shirley Scott’s distinguished service for the City of Tucson and her lasting dedication to her Ward 4 constituents.