The City of Tucson is bringing the hammer down on the Project Blue developers.
Again.
City officials didn’t mince words in a letter they sent to Beale Infrastructure demanding the developer return two acre-feet of water (roughly 652,000 gallons). Apparently, a contractor hired by Beale illegally used the water at the Project Blue site last month, and city officials are plenty upset about it.
Beyond just writing a letter, Tucson Water officials also revoked the construction water meter obtained by the contractor, Ames Construction, to stop any further use of the water for dust control at the site next to the Pima County Fairgrounds.
Photos from a drone document minor grading work on the Project Blue site. (Photo by BG Boyd Photography.)
Tucson City Manager Tim Thomure noted that the contractor pumped the water from somewhere else under the control of Tucson Water and transported it to the largely untouched Project Blue site.
“To our amazement, we were alerted to the fact that your contractor obtained a construction meter from within the Tucson Water service area, and transported that water out of our service area for use on the Project Blue site. This was completely unacceptable and was terminated by Tucson Water immediately,” Thomure wrote.
Tucson Water routinely issues construction water meters for dust control purposes at construction sites, with the expectation that the water would be used inside the Tucson Water service area.
In the one-page letter sent to Beale, Thomure was explicit that Beale should not expect any cooperation from the city in the future, noting the Tucson City Council unanimously rejected any involvement or support for Project Blue.
“As such, the City of Tucson also rejected any use of our water resources for this facility,” he wrote. “To be absolutely clear — the City of Tucson does not support the development of Project Blue. The City of Tucson will not provide any city resource, including our water supply, to be used for Project Blue.”
He also demanded that the company find a swimming pool’s worth of potable water credits to return to the city immediately, “at no cost to the city.”
Photos from a drone document minor grading work on the Project Blue site. (Photo by BG Boyd Photography.)
The contractor went through the proper channels to get the permit, a representative for Beale said.
“The city issued a permit for temporary water per the normal course of business, our contractor followed standard procedure and will be billed accordingly,” the spokesperson said.
Beale plans on procuring water for construction through “an alternative source” but did not elaborate.
The company has already secured a basic dust permit, permission to build a wall and to connect to Pima County’s sewer system. The dust permit is required by the county as contractors grade a portion of the 290-acre parcel.
City leaders were upset to find out the company had cut corners to begin development.
Mayor Regina Romero said getting the water from the city and then trucking it in undermines the integrity of the city’s water policies and the trust of the community.
“The City of Tucson has rejected any involvement with, or support for, the Project Blue Data Center development. We have also made it clear that our water resources will not be used to support this project,” Romero told us.
Councilman Kevin Dahl, one of the first council members to come out against Project Blue, said the situation is almost comical. Almost.
“It’s hilarious and outrageous at the same time,” Dahl said. “It’s evidence of mismanagement and (the Project Blue developers) of not being a good community member.”
While trucking in water from the City of Tucson is off the table, the company likely will be forced to drill to supply water to the property. Those permits would be managed by the Arizona Department of Water Resources.
Thomure’s letter was also shared with Pima County elected officials and County Administrator Jan Lesher.
Supervisor Jennifer Allen, who voted against the sale of the county-owned land that is now being developed by Project Blue, wasn’t surprised.
“This is a telling example of why we can’t trust the Project Blue developers,” she said. “They were explicitly told not to use Tucson Water resources and they found a backdoor to do it.”
Time for transparency: As ICE comes under greater scrutiny for the rising number of deaths in immigration detention centers, a Cuban asylum seeker held at the Eloy Detention Center was hospitalized without any official explanation, the Arizona Daily Star’s Emily Bregel reports. The family of Alexander Hernández couldn’t contact him for days, and ICE officials only revealed he was hospitalized after his immigration lawyer started asking questions. Hernández told the Star last month that he was reaching a point of desperation while in custody, particularly after ICE officials took away his wheelchair.
“They are punishing me here for asking for medical help,” Hernández wrote April 25, from a solitary-confinement cell. “Please, I can’t bear these abuses anymore.”
Patel vs. Nanos: On the “Hang Out with Sean Hannity” podcast, FBI Director Kash Patel criticized Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos for his handling of the Nancy Guthrie case, saying the federal agency was “kept out of the investigation” for four days. Nanos responded to Patel’s comments on Tuesday night, saying he was on the scene on the night Guthrie disappeared, as was a member of the FBI Task Force.
Taking the next step: A federal agency gave the green light for employees of three charter schools in Tucson to unionize, the Arizona Luminaria’s Shannon Conner reports. The National Labor Relations Board said teachers and staff at City High and two Paulo Freire Schools can now hold a vote on May 19 to decide whether to unionize, which could pave the way for charter schools throughout Arizona to do the same.
Election challenges dead: The Arizona Supreme Court has upheld a Pima County Superior Court ruling allowing state Reps. Alma and Consuelo Hernandez to remain on the ballot in their respective legislative races this year. The sisters had faced election challenges over unpaid campaign finance fees, but the court agreed those fines do not disqualify them from seeking another term.
Where the rubber meets the road: Palo Verde Magnet High School is breaking new ground with a four-day school week, which raises a lot of questions from parents about how it will work, Athena Kehoe reports for KGUN. Principal Erick Brock says students will spend more time on math every day so the school can meet the state’s recommendation for math instruction time. And students can come in on Fridays to work with teachers, who will still get their regular, full-time salaries.
The only reason we still get our regular, full-time salaries is because our wonderful readers keep upgrading to paid subscriptions.
Budgeting in the burgs: The Oro Valley Town Council is considering the proposed $130 million budget for the coming fiscal year, which could include putting a hold on some capital spending and new staff positions, as well as a 0.5% cut to town operations, Tucson Sentinel columnist Blake Morlock writes. Over in Marana, the town council is revamping its general plan and deciding whether to reimburse the developer of the Vanderbilt Farms subdivision.
Greek tragedies: Four University of Arizona fraternities are under investigation for violations of school policy like hazing and illegal drug use, KVOA’s Jacob Owens reports. The fraternities aren’t allowed to host activities while they’re under investigation, which usually takes about a month. While the investigations unfold, UA officials and fraternity representatives are trying to reassure the public that most fraternities don’t misbehave.
The Pima County Republican Party is hosting a WrestleMania event in Tucson!
Well, not really.
They just got a little too enthusiastic when they used AI to make a graphic. It happens to the best of us.
What they’re really doing is challenging Arizona’s 2025 Elections Procedures Manual in court.
There’s no telling how that lawsuit will play out. But one thing’s for sure: WrestleMania would be a lot more fun.
