Save the Scenic Santa Ritas is asking the Sahuarita Town Council to determine whether Hudbay Minerals is violating a 2013 agreement requiring the company to replenish more groundwater than it pumps for the proposed Copper World mine.
The agreement allows Hudbay to install a water pipeline along Santa Rita Road within town limits, but requires the company to recharge 105% of the groundwater it withdraws using Central Arizona Project (CAP) water in the same area it is pumped.
“If there is no feasible way for Hudbay to meet this requirement, the town should cancel the agreement,” said SSSR Executive Director John Dougherty in a Dec. 30, 2025 letter to Mayor Tom Murphy and the town council.
SSSR says evidence shows Hudbay cannot realistically meet the replenishment requirement. According to the Central Arizona Water Conservation District, Rosemont Copper and Hudbay recharged 1,683 acre-feet of CAP water near Sahuarita between 2007 and September 2025, enough to operate the mine for less than four months. The Copper World mine is planned to operate for more than 40 years.
Hudbay holds a state permit to pump up to 6,000 acre-feet of groundwater annually but has stated it plans to pump at least 9,409 acre-feet per year, with the potential to increase withdrawals by 50%. An acre-foot equals about 326,000 gallons, or enough water for roughly three homes for a year.
The agreement also requires Hudbay to pay for damage to Sahuarita’s municipal wells caused by mine pumping, but Dougherty said residents could still face higher water bills.
SSSR is urging the town to hire an independent expert to review the agreement and will host a community meeting at 1 p.m. Jan. 31 at the Sahuarita Unified School District Auditorium.
