Green Valley, Az (Phoenix, Tucson, Sierra Vista: crime, houses, to buy)

[azloafer]

I am also concerned about pollution but I now live about 1 mile from an open pit copper mine in Green Valley, AZ. I would locate further away in the future. It is hard to get away from the effects of mine pollution in this entire section of the country. "The Santa Cruz Valley" which includes GV is supposed to have the world's largest aquifer. The aquifer has now been determined to be polluted with the run-off from the mine tailings. Every time it rains, the rain washes the tailing stuff off the piles and into the ground. So eventually the water gets contaminated. Two of the community wells have been closed here and the mine is being pushed into helping. They drilled two wells farther away but they have admitted that the contaminated plume in the water will reach them soon. We, like a lot of communities, have an entire section in the grocery stores devoted to bottled water. Each grocery store also has filtered water machines outside. There are several bottled water companies in town. I predict that we will eventually have to buy all our drinking water from other states because there is no reclamation law in Arizona. We also have a huge dust problem from the mine tailings. The dust is like a fine gray powder which contains Arsenic and a lot of other chemicals. Many of the compounds are not controlled by the government. The mines recently offered to have cleaning crews go to houses that were involved in a terrible dust cloud from the tailings. They are paying to have two hundred houses cleaned. When the dust is bad, people on the north end of town use their windshield wipers when they drive. We live on the south end and do not suffer from the dust as much but we all have that same water.

This entire area, including Tucson and even Phoenix is on CAP water. That is the Central Arizona Project. It brings Colorado River water to the area and dumps it into ponds. The water drains into the ground and to the wells that supply our community.{and other communities} As soon as the silt covers the pond bottoms, they use other ponds while the ones recently used are dried and then bladed to remove the silt. We have been told that the WELL WATER used in Green Valley is unsafe for young people and old people BUT supposedly OK for the middle age. Isn't that a statement! That is because of the mines here. Since Green Valley is a retirement community, we are all in trouble. [You have to be 55 years of age to live here.] We have three open mine pits in our town. They are all copper mines. For years the mines never admitted what they used to extract the copper. Now they have been forced to because of the contamination. The tailings are huge and cover MILES! I can't see any way that our water will ever get better; just worse.

Except for the pollution and hot summers Green Valley is a great place to live. Boy, even I think that is a crazy statement! But it is true. It is very safe here as far as crime. I guess the bottom line is that we have little to fear as far as crime goes but will be killed by the water.

I don't mean to sound like an expert on water pollution but it has been the topic in the Green Valley news for the past month. It is not just my opinion; it is fact and known to everyone here now. I feel bad that the situation has gotten this bad but out here "COPPER IS KING." This is a statement that Senator John McCain made when I called his office several years ago. I have lived here for twenty years so I know what I am talking about. It makes me very sad.

[4thson]

I recently returned from an abbreviated trip to Green Valley that was shortened by my wife's asthma condition. It opened my eyes to the issue of air quality where my parents will soon be living year round. They have been coming seasonally to Green Valley for approximately 8-10 years. Can you help me to locate information concerning the health effects of the mines in the area?
My brother lives in Sierra Vista which seems like a more healthy alternative. What do you know about that area?

Thanks

Matt

[azloafer]

Originally Posted by 4thson

I recently returned from an abbreviated trip to Green Valley that was shortened by my wife's asthma condition. It opened my eyes to the issue of air quality where my parents will soon be living year round. They have been coming seasonally to Green Valley for approximately 8-10 years. Can you help me to locate information concerning the health effects of the mines in the area?
My brother lives in Sierra Vista which seems like a more healthy alternative. What do you know about that area?

Thanks

Matt

Sierra vista is located at a higher elevation than Green Valley and it has temperatures about 10 degrees cooler year round. This is a real plus in the summer. Many people think that it has a perfect climate and no mines. The area has a lot of building going on and is spreading out rapidly. I think that it has a lot to offer and we should have looked there before settling in Green Valley. I'll admit that we rushed to buy 20 years ago, but Sierra Vista was not much 20 years ago. It is now worth a look!

[gregandvicky]

This is a great post with loads of information.

We just made a trip to Green Valley. The water, mine thing seems to be an issue. The builders evening give you a disclosure of the problems. The disclosure pretty much says it is a problem, the mines were there first and would be grandfathered in for water.

azloafer, are you still there? Any more updates or comments? We were considering GV but not sure now.

Originally Posted by azloafer

I am also concerned about pollution but I now live about 1 mile from an open pit copper mine in Green Valley, AZ. I would locate further away in the future. It is hard to get away from the effects of mine pollution in this entire section of the country. "The Santa Cruz Valley" which includes GV is supposed to have the world's largest aquifer. The aquifer has now been determined to be polluted with the run-off from the mine tailings. Every time it rains, the rain washes the tailing stuff off the piles and into the ground. So eventually the water gets contaminated. Two of the community wells have been closed here and the mine is being pushed into helping. They drilled two wells farther away but they have admitted that the contaminated plume in the water will reach them soon. We, like a lot of communities, have an entire section in the grocery stores devoted to bottled water. Each grocery store also has filtered water machines outside. There are several bottled water companies in town. I predict that we will eventually have to buy all our drinking water from other states because there is no reclamation law in Arizona. We also have a huge dust problem from the mine tailings. The dust is like a fine gray powder which contains Arsenic and a lot of other chemicals. Many of the compounds are not controlled by the government. The mines recently offered to have cleaning crews go to houses that were involved in a terrible dust cloud from the tailings. They are paying to have two hundred houses cleaned. When the dust is bad, people on the north end of town use their windshield wipers when they drive. We live on the south end and do not suffer from the dust as much but we all have that same water.

This entire area, including Tucson and even Phoenix is on CAP water. That is the Central Arizona Project. It brings Colorado River water to the area and dumps it into ponds. The water drains into the ground and to the wells that supply our community.{and other communities} As soon as the silt covers the pond bottoms, they use other ponds while the ones recently used are dried and then bladed to remove the silt. We have been told that the WELL WATER used in Green Valley is unsafe for young people and old people BUT supposedly OK for the middle age. Isn't that a statement! That is because of the mines here. Since Green Valley is a retirement community, we are all in trouble. [You have to be 55 years of age to live here.] We have three open mine pits in our town. They are all copper mines. For years the mines never admitted what they used to extract the copper. Now they have been forced to because of the contamination. The tailings are huge and cover MILES! I can't see any way that our water will ever get better; just worse.

Except for the pollution and hot summers Green Valley is a great place to live. Boy, even I think that is a crazy statement! But it is true. It is very safe here as far as crime. I guess the bottom line is that we have little to fear as far as crime goes but will be killed by the water.

I don't mean to sound like an expert on water pollution but it has been the topic in the Green Valley news for the past month. It is not just my opinion; it is fact and known to everyone here now. I feel bad that the situation has gotten this bad but out here "COPPER IS KING." This is a statement that Senator John McCain made when I called his office several years ago. I have lived here for twenty years so I know what I am talking about. It makes me very sad.

[LordBalfor]

Originally Posted by azloafer

Sierra vista is located at a higher elevation than Green Valley and it has temperatures about 10 degrees cooler year round. This is a real plus in the summer. Many people think that it has a perfect climate and no mines. The area has a lot of building going on and is spreading out rapidly. I think that it has a lot to offer and we should have looked there before settling in Green Valley. I'll admit that we rushed to buy 20 years ago, but Sierra Vista was not much 20 years ago. It is now worth a look!

I agree - though from what I understand SV is having water issues as well - not quality but rather quantity.

4thson -I would DEFINITELY talk to your brother if I were you. I'm one of those folks who think SV has just about the best climate in the continental US (aside from some of the near-coastal areas of S. Cal). It's not quite as pleasant in the winters (a bit cooler than GV) but is more pleasant in the summer.

Ken

[azloafer]

Re: Green Valley. We have now lived here for 23 years. We decided that we are staying here. We have looked around and found that Green Valley has everything to offer that we want. It seems that every place has good and bad points. Green Valley has more good than bad compared to other places that we have researched. Of course, that is our opinion. No matter where you decide to live, spend some time there before moving. Also subscribe to the local newspaper...it will give you much information.

[nickw252]

Do you have a source for where you got this information?

I am temporarily staying in my parents house in Green Valley and am concerned about the water.

Additionally, from what it sounds like, it doesn't matter WHERE in Green Valley you live since the whole town gets its water from the same aquifer - is that correct?

[azloafer]

All the water in Green Valley does come from the same aquifer.

[gregandvicky]

Originally Posted by nickw252

Do you have a source for where you got this information?

I am temporarily staying in my parents house in Green Valley and am concerned about the water.

Additionally, from what it sounds like, it doesn't matter WHERE in Green Valley you live since the whole town gets its water from the same aquifer - is that correct?

check this link and spend some time on it. the sulphur levels are way high

also read the current meeting and community users comments. it was enough to make us pursue another location.


Community Water Company of Green Valley - Water Quality (http://www.communitywater.com/core/set_wqual.html - broken link)

[rowdycrayon]

This is 2010, what is the dust and water situation like now?