Arizona

EPA orders the Air Force, Arizona National Guard to clean up groundwater contamination

Published

1 year ago

June 12, 2024

EPA orders the Air Force, Arizona National Guard to clean up groundwater contamination

PHOENIX — The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is demanding the U.S. Air Force and Arizona National Guard take action as concentrations of toxic “forever chemicals” are increasing in the groundwater in a historically contaminated area in the south side of Tuscon, Arizona.

The EPA found the pollution came from the nearby military properties and ordered them to clean up the contamination. High concentrations of PFAS, or per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, were detected in Tucson’s groundwater near the Tucson International Airport at the National Guard base and at a property owned by the U.S. Air Force.

The contaminants threaten the groundwater extracted at a water treatment run by Tucson Water in the Tucson Airport Remediation Project area, known as TARP. That water was intended for drinking, the EPA said in its May 29 order.

Samples taken at the treatment plant showed concentrations of PFAS as high as 53,000 parts per trillion, which is 5,300 times the allowable amount. The limit allowed in drinking water ranges from 4 parts per trillion to 10 parts per trillion, depending on the type of PFAS.

To prevent the contaminations’ further migration towards city wells, the agency gave the Air Force and the Air National Guard 60 days to develop a remediation plan. The Morris Air National Guard Base leading the remediation project did not respond to the Arizona Republic, part of the USA TODAY Network, and its requests for comment.

Tucson Water, the city’s water utility, said the wells impacted by the contamination are not in service and customers are not being served contaminated water. But with concentrations of PFAS continuing to increase, the issue remains a concern for the city.

“When we have an area where the water quality is impacted and we’re not able to serve that to customers, that is an added cost. It really diminishes the resource that we have available,” Natalie DeRoock, a Tucson Water spokesperson said. She noted that other than the Colorado River water the city pumps in, Tucson depends on groundwater, a finite resource.

The water utility stopped serving water treated at TARP to residents in 2021, when increased PFAS levels caused the plant to temporarily shut down as the filter system sequestering the contaminants could not handle the increase.

What are PFAS? ‘Forever chemicals’ are common and dangerous.

What will remediation look like?

DeRoock said the water treated at the TARP facility exceeds state and county standards for clean water, so the city decided to divert the water to the Santa Cruz River rather than use it as drinking water. She said the city wanted people to feel confident about their drinking water, and instead decided to use that water to maintain the water levels in the Santa Cruz River and to help with the riparian habitat restoration.

As part of the EPA’s order, the remediation plan submitted by Air Force and National Guard must ensure the water is clean enough to be used as drinking water.

“With appropriate response, Tucson Water would be able to resume delivering water from the TARP facility to the drinking water system, as it was originally designed to do,” said Joshua Alexander, a spokesperson for the EPA.

Alexander said remediation is a complicated process that could take years. It could require the creation of new water treatment facilities or the modification of current existing facilities to treat an increased volume of water.

He noted several technologies that successfully remove PFAS from water, including granular activated carbon, a filtration system that uses carbon to remove contaminants from drinking water. He pointed out that new technologies are also being developed worldwide to remove PFAS from drinking water.

PFAS is a danger to public health

PFAS are long-lasting chemicals that have been used since the 1940s in a wide range of industries and products — from fire retardants and popcorn bags to personal care items and clothing — that can now be found globally in water. PFAS are considered hazardous substances that can cause severe health issues with long-term exposure, even in low traces.

Studies show PFAS exposure can negatively impact the body’s immune and cardiovascular systems, as well as vaccine response. Studies have also linked oral exposure to PFAS to adverse health effects on the liver, the kidneys, and the immune system, and cancer, according to the EPA.

Though residents in Tucson’s south side don’t receive water from TARP’s contaminated wells, past exposures and their effects worry residents. Many contend broader health screenings and compensation are still due.

Site has long history of contamination

The area has a history of contamination from decades of defense and industrial activities. The Tucson Airport Remediation Project area is a superfund site contaminated with several pollutants.

One of the primary contaminants is trichloroethylene, or TCE, formerly used as a general-purpose solvent and degreaser. Another contaminant found at the site is 1,4-dioxane, which was used as a stabilizer to enhance the life of the solvent bath for degreasing manufactured parts.

These and other hazardous materials were disposed of at the airport and eventually began seeping into the groundwater, contaminating the regional aquifer. The area was declared a superfund site in 1983 and listed as a national priority area for long-term cleanup.

Other contaminants at the site include dichloroethene, chloroform, and chromium. A carcinogenic compound, polychlorinated biphenyls, and metals contamination were also found in some soils on the site. According to the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality, the “contaminants of concern” may change as new data becomes available.

Reach the reporter at sarah.lapidus@gannett.com. The Republic’s coverage of southern Arizona is funded, in part, with a grant from Report for America. Support Arizona news coverage with a tax-deductible donation at supportjournalism.azcentral.com.

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Arizona

What Gonzaga’s Mark Few said after tough win over Arizona State

Published

6 hours ago

November 15, 2025

Press Room

What Gonzaga’s Mark Few said after tough win over Arizona State

Friday didn’t feature the cleanest 40 minutes Gonzaga has put together over the first two weeks of the college basketball season.

Though despite an abnormal amount of turnovers, defensive lapses and woeful shooting stretches, the Bulldogs remained level-headed down the stretch to leave Desert Financial Arena with a 77-65 victory over Arizona State.

A combined 58 free throw attempts, 44 foul calls and a pair of technical fouls between the future and former Pac-12 schools underscored the chaotic nature of the late-night tilt, creating quite the environment for the Bulldogs’ first true road test of the 2025-26 campaign.

After having its 14-point lead chopped down to five midway through the second half, Gonzaga took advantage of a pair of technical fouls assessed against the Sun Devils, including one on head coach Dan Hurley, to pull away late and advance to 4-0 on the season.

Here’s what Mark Few had say about his team’s performance after the game.

“I think we just kind of hung in there. I thought we had some really good performances by several of our guys, but it was kind of like in spurts, and then in some instances, a good first half out of somebody, and then not so good the second half.”

“Like I told them afterwards, anytime we can win a game like this, and maybe not feel like we played perfect; as long as we learn from it, that was a really, really good chance to learn. So we got to watch a lot of stuff.”

“Obviously, their quickness and athleticism and what they were doing had a lot to do with it. But these guys stepped up. [Ike] made big plays in both halves. I thought Tyon really got in there and really helped us, especially in that first half, really made a difference.”

“We were struggling on the offensive end. Too many turnovers for us, and too many kind of little defensive breakdowns there that we’ve been doing a good job and not having quite as many of those.”

“That’s so hard to do. He had missed some shots early, and I know he was down on himself, wasn’t feeling good. And I think that just shows incredible mental toughness … when it’s not going good, to flip the switch and come back and make plays and those shots were huge. It kind of gave us a cushion to kind of get us through there at the end, so I was proud of him.

“That was a kind of a hostile environment and kind of a crazy game, but our guys just made enough plays to win.”

“I mean, it’s hard to put your finger on it. Sometimes it’s been a little bit of a defensive problem. Sometimes it’s been a little bit of an offensive problem.”

“You’re not going to blow somebody out in the first 4 minutes. We’re establishing a rhythm, trying to figure out how they’re covering us, and if our coverages are working, and how they’re attacking that. So a lot of times it’s just a little bit of a feeling-out process.”

MORE GONZAGA NEWS & ANALYSIS

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Arizona

Republicans’ chances of defeating Katie Hobbs in Arizona governor race—Poll

Published

1 day ago

November 14, 2025

Press Room

Republicans’ chances of defeating Katie Hobbs in Arizona governor race—Poll

Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs, a Democrat, is in for a close race against Republican challengers in the 2026 midterm elections, according to a new poll.

Newsweek reached out to Hobbs and the Republican candidates’ campaigns for comment via email.

Why It Matters

Arizona emerged as a key swing state over the past decade, with both parties scoring statewide victories. Last November, President Donald Trump carried the state by nearly six points, but Democrat Ruben Gallego eked out a win in the Senate race, a sign of how competitive the state can still be.

Hobbs, first elected in 2022, is up for reelection next year. Democrats are optimistic about their chances in the midterms. Historically, the president’s party loses seats, and Trump’s approval remains low.

A series of Democratic victories in recent elections has also fueled hopes about a blue wave in the midterms. But forecasters still view the race as competitive for both parties, and the Emerson College poll released Friday underscores just how close it may be.

What To Know

Hobbs narrowly defeated Republican Kari Lake in 2022, a year that was generally stronger for Republicans. Prior to the election, Hobbs served as Arizona’s secretary of state and as a state legislator starting in 2011.

Several Republicans are vying to challenge her, including Arizona Representatives Andy Biggs and David Schweikert, as well as attorney Karrin Taylor Robson. Trump has endorsed both Biggs and Robson.

The Emerson poll showed Hobbs with a slight lead over each of the Republican candidates.

She held a single-point lead over Biggs (44 percent to 43 percent) and Robson (43 percent to 42 percent), and a five-point lead over Schweikert (44 percent to 39 percent), according to the poll. It surveyed 850 registered voters from November 8 to 10 and had a margin of error of plus or minus 3.3 percentage points.

Biggs held a lead in the primary, with 50 percent of respondents saying they would vote for him. Meanwhile, Robson and Schweikert held 17 percent and 8 percent support, respectively, in the primary, the poll found.

Other polls have also painted a picture of a close race. A Noble Predictive Insights poll, which surveyed 948 registered voters from August 11 to 18, showed Hobbs with a two-point lead over both Biggs (39 percent to 37 percent) and Robson (40 percent to 38 percent). It had a margin of error of plus or minus 3.2 percentage points.

In 2022, Hobbs defeated Lake by less than a single percentage point (50.3 percent to 49.7 percent) in what was one of the closest races across the country. Arizona was also one of the closest states at the presidential level in 2020—former President Joe Biden carried it by less than half a percentage point.

In 2024, however, Trump gained back ground in the state, winning 52.2 percent of the vote to former Vice President Kamala Harris’ 46.7 percent.

What People Are Saying

Spencer Kimball, director of the Emerson College poll, wrote in a report: “In a matchup between Hobbs and Biggs, voters who say the economy is their top issue break for Hobbs, 45% to 41%, while those who find immigration to be the top issue break for Biggs, 81% to 6%.”

President Donald Trump wrote on Truth Social in April: “I like Karrin Taylor Robson of Arizona a lot, and when she asked me to Endorse her, with nobody else running, I Endorsed her, and was happy to do so.

“When Andy Biggs decided to run for Governor, quite unexpectedly, I had a problem — Two fantastic candidates, two terrific people, two wonderful champions, and it is therefore my Great Honor TO GIVE MY COMPLETE AND TOTAL ENDORSEMENT TO BOTH. Either one will never let you down. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!”

What Happens Next

The Arizona race is likely to become closely watched—and expensive—as both parties try to win over voters over the coming year. Sabato’s Crystal Ball classifies the race as a pure toss-up.

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Arizona

Conservative think tank challenges Arizona AG on rental price-fixing records

Published

2 days ago

November 13, 2025

Press Room

Conservative think tank challenges Arizona AG on rental price-fixing records

PHOENIX (AZFamily) — A conservative-leaning think tank is suing Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes over her office’s refusal to fully disclose records related to allegations of rental price-fixing involving major landlords and a property management software company.

The Goldwater Institute filed a public records lawsuit against Mayes, demanding she reveal how many people have filed complaints related to the allegations.

In a news release, the think tank said Mayes has refused to state how many Arizonans claimed the alleged conspiracy actually harmed them.

In February 2024, the AG’s office sued nine landlords, including Avenue5, Greystar, RPM Living, and Weider. State officials also named RealPage, a property management software company, in the lawsuit, alleging it colluded with others to inflate rental prices across metro Phoenix.

The Goldwater Institute said it had requested full complaint records from Mayes’ office but reportedly only received a numerical count of complaints, without the underlying records.

“I firmly believe in vindicating Arizona’s Public Records Law, which exists to ensure that government remains accountable to the people it serves,” said Michael Bloom, an attorney for the American Freedom Network, which is representing the Goldwater Institute. “Transparency is the cornerstone of public trust.”

Goldwater officials said the AG’s office claimed the information was confidential, but they argue it is not protected under public records law.

The think tank also noted that Mayes’ lawsuit mirrors similar cases filed by other Democratic attorneys general, and partnered with a private law firm to pursue the case, similar to approaches taken in those other states.

Last year, the Justice Department filed an antitrust lawsuit against RealPage, accusing it of an illegal scheme that allowed landlords to coordinate and hike up rent prices.

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