Carefree hopes to receive more CAP from Cave Creek
By Curtis Riggs | April 29, 2009
Agreement to deliver 300 acre-feet annually
CAREFREE – Now that the majority of the infrastructure problems for the Cave Creek Water Company have been fixed Carefree water officials hope to be able to get a significant savings on Central Arizona Project (CAP) water deliveries.
Carefree has a contract with the Cave Creek Water Company, and thus the Town of Cave Creek, to deliver 300 acre-feet of Carefree’s CAP water in 2009-10. The contract to deliver 300 acre-feet of CAP has been in force for several years, but has never been achieved because of Cave Creek’s water storage problems.
Now that Cave Creek has two new water storage tanks it appears Cave Creek can provide Carefree with the agreed-upon water.
The CAP water Cave Creek would deliver is part of Carefree’s annual 1,300 acre-feet CAP allotment.
Both Carefree Water Company General Manager Stan Francom and Cave Creek Utilities Manager Jessica Marlow commented Cave Creek will be able to deliver more of the water in winter months. Both water officials agree Cave Creek’s commitment to deliver water to customers in Desert Hills and to serve the needs of Cave Creek residents will make it harder for Cave Creek to deliver the water during the summer.
“We will deliver as much as we can,” Marlow said, indicating the new Galloway pumping station near Stagecoach Village will help to make this possible.
Francom estimates the Carefree Water Company will save approximately $24,000 this year by having Cave Creek deliver the CAP water.
Carefree’s other option on CAP water delivery is Scottsdale, which has a higher CAP delivery charge than Cave Creek.