Watching the CD-8 debate tonight between Jesse Kelly, Gabrielle Giffords, and Steven Stoltz on Arizona Illustrated, the subject of the Rosemont Mine came up.

One of Gabrielle Giffords’ main objection to the Rosemont Mine was over water usage.  She said that one of her main concerns was that the mine would use 100,000 acre-feet of water over the next 20 years.  5,000 acre feet per year.  She cited drought and growth and a strain on the Colorado River.

Also in CD-8, a lot of pecans are grown.  Matter of fact, the Green Valley Pecan Company has 106,000 pecan trees.  And you know what makes pecans grow?  Sunshine and what’s that other thing?  Oh, yeah, a whole lot of water.  How much?  Well, according to the Noble Foundation, each tree apparently needs 111 to 190 gallons per day.  That would work out to between 13,200 and 22,560 acre feet per year. 

 Giffords must really be alarmed over this!  Because it’s 2.5 times to 4.5 times the annual usage of the proposed Rosemont Mine.  Seemed kind of odd that she didn’t mention it in the debate.

She might want to contact the owners of the farm about all this water they are using.  And–to her credit–it does look as though she’s been in regular contact with them.  Because in her three election cycles, they have made nine donations to Giffords campaign totalling $10,300.  Appaarently water for copper = bad, three to four times as much water for pecans + $10,000 = good.