Oct. 25, 2012 –Sahuarita Mayor Duane Blumberg requests Tucson’s assistance in helping area reduce its annual overdraft of 13 billion gallons of groundwater a year.
June 24, 2013—Mayor Blumberg signs a 25-year contract with Rosemont Copper Company granting a right of way to install water pipeline from its primary well field along the Santa Rita Road within town limits. In exchange, Rosemont agrees to recharge 105% of the groundwater pumped for the Rosemont Mine with Central Arizona Project water within a defined geographic area in Sahuarita.
June 23, 2014 — Toronto-based Hudbay Minerals agrees to purchase Rosemont Copper before later changing the name of the project to Copper World.
Nov. 1-8, 2024—Arizona Department of Water Resources (ADWR) issues Copper World permits to drill four wells in two well fields included in the 2013 ROW Recharge Agreement. Sanrita West wells 55-241987, 55-241988 and 55-242051 and Sanrita South well 55-241989.
Dec. 30, 2025 – SSSR requests Sahuarita to hire an independent consultant to determine whether Hudbay can recharge 105% of the groundwater it pumps for the Copper World mine with Central Arizona Project water. (SSSR web post.)
Jan. 26, 2026 –Sahuarita Town Attorney Jon Paladini incorrectly states the ROW Recharge Agreement hasn’t been triggered because Copper World has not drilled any wells or obtained ADWR permits.
March 26, 2026—Copper World files its 2025 groundwater summary report with ADWR showing all four wells were operated along with a fifth well drilled in the Sanrita South wellfield in 2016. The five wells pumped 10.9 million gallons of groundwater in 2025.
April 16, 2026 – SSSR notifies Sahuarita that Copper World failed to report groundwater pumping in 2025 and did not recharge 105% of the aquifer with Central Arizona Project water as required under the ROW Recharge Agreement. SSSR requests the town to initiate default proceedings and not to issue permits to install the water pipeline. (SSSR web post.)
April 22, 2026 – Pima County Administrator Jan Lesher issues memo stating the amount of CAP water Copper World has stored is “nowhere near enough to fully offset pumping for the life of the mine.”
April 24, 2026 – Mayor Murphy endorses Copper World in a full-page advertisement in the Arizona Capitol Times paid for by Hudbay. The ad includes a photograph of the Sahuarita Town Hall falsely implying the council has endorsed the mine.
April 27, 2026 – Hudbay requests Murphy to reject SSSR’s demand to enforce the terms of the ROW Recharge Agreement.
May 11, 2026 – Sahuarita notifies SSSR the town will not initiate default proceedings against Copper World for violating the ROW Recharge Agreement.
May 12, 2026 – SSSR submits public records request to Sahuarita for records related to negotiations between the town and Rosemont Copper in 2012 and 2013 leading up to and immediately after the signing of the ROW Recharge Agreement.
May 26, 2026 – SSSR delivers a petition during a council meeting signed by 133 Sahuarita residents requesting the town hold a public hearing on Copper World’s potential impact on groundwater.
July 21, 2026—Sahuarita councilwoman Deborah Morales and Murphy are re-elected to four-year terms. Morales receives 3,885 votes followed by Murphy with 3,837 votes. Chelsea Hundal wins the third seat with 3,397 votes.
July 30, 2026 – Sahuarita releases Blumberg’s 2012 letter in response to SSSR’s May 12 public records request. SSSR requests the town to continue searching for records responsive to ROW Recharge Agreement.
Aug. 7, 2016 – Sahuarita states records from 2012 and 2013 related to the ROW Recharge Agreement “would likely have been destroyed” even though the town had extensive records from the period on the Project Renews pipeline/recharge project.
Sept. 8, 2026 – Pima County Administrator Jan Lesher sends letter to ADWR requesting it deny Copper World’s expected request to renew its groundwater pumping permit for at least 6,000 acre-feet/year when it expires in January 2028. (SSSR web post.)
Sept. 10, 2026 – Sahuarita Councilman Ed Lytle reportedly contacts Sahuarita Police Chief John Noland claiming three SSSR members from Phoenix confronted him in his driveway demanding he pay attention to SSSR’s comments during council meetings. Police do not contact SSSR for information.
Sept. 11, 2026 – Councilmember Kim Lisk announces to Quail Creek residents she’s interested in challenging Murphy when the seven-member council selects its mayor at the Dec. 14 meeting.
Sept. 15, 2026 – Green Valley News publishes online story that subsequently ran on the newspaper’s front page under the headline “Anti-mining group members accused of confronting councilman at home”. The story quotes Sahuarita police Commander Manny Amado stating: “Now we know they are from Scenic Santa Ritas because they introduced themselves as such…” Lytle did not return GVN’s call requesting comment.
Sept. 16, 2026 – SSSR issues a press release denying any involvment in the alleged incident at Lytle’s home. SSSR’s attorneys send a demand letter for all police reports.
Sept. 22, 2026 – “Commander Amado acknowledges that his statement ‘we know’the individuals were from SSSR was too categorical. He should have said they reportedly identified themselves as associated with SSSR,” Sahuarita’s attorney Jon Paladini states in a letter to SSSR.
Sept. 23, 2026 –- SSSR’s attorneys send second demand letter to Sahuarita requesting the town declare Copper World in default of the ROW Recharge Agreement and refuse to issue permits to install the water pipeline within town limits. (SSSR web post.)
Oct. 9, 2026 – SSSR’s attorneys request Sahuarita police to “investigate why Cmdr. Amado believed he had sufficient information” to tell a reporter, “we know” SSSR confronted Lytle and that Lytle “politely” responded to the confrontation.
Oct. 12, 2026 – Sahuarita Town Council holds executive session to discuss ROW Recharge Agreement.
Oct. 13, 2026 – Sahuarita police release two reports that provide no evidence supporting Cmdr. Amado’s statement beyond an unattributed statement claiming it occurred. The reports show police checked Lytle’s home at least 62 times from Sept. 11 through Oct. 2, finding nothing suspicious. (See S2090255 and S2090256)
Oct. 16, 2026 –Sahuarita Attorney Jon Paladini states in a letter to SSSR that the town “will not issue a public retraction” because there is no evidence that an encounter did not take place. Paladini states town “does not possess or control” video from Lytle’s security camera pointed at the driveway where the confrontation allegedly occurred.
Oct. 19, 2026 – Sahuarita Town Council holds executive session to discuss ROW Recharge Agreement.
Oct. 21, 2026 – Hudbay announces “final investment decision” to construct Copper World.
Oct. 26, 2026 – Sahuarita Town Council holds executive session to discuss ROW Recharge Agreement.
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