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The Associated Press: Huge Water Park Planned for Ariz. Desert http: / /ap.google.com/ article/ ALegM5hVG9_lgwzxWC9dXoXpjeon... <br />The Waveyard will need as much as 50 million gallons of water at first to fill its artificial oceans <br />and rivers. <br />Replenishing water lost to evaporation and spillage will require another 60 to 100 million gallons <br />per year, enough to support about 1,200 people in the Phoenix area. <br />Project organizers say they won't tap Mesa's drinking water supplies to fill the park. Instead, <br />they plan to draw from a well that has elevated levels of arsenic, which makes its water <br />unsuitable for drinking. The Waveyard will build a treatment plant to make the water safe for <br />swimmers. <br />Rita Maguire, a former director of the Arizona Department of Water Resources who studied <br />water availability for Waveyard developers, said the project will not use any more water than <br />one of Arizona's many golf courses. <br />"Initially, the reaction is, 'Oh my. Is this an appropriate use of water in a desert? <br />"But recreation is a very important part of a community. And if you can make the use of that <br />water in a highly efficient way, it's a smart choice," she said. <br />Holway agreed, saying communities could do a better job using water in public spaces "that <br />everybody can enjoy as opposed to having lush yards that we just lock behind fences." <br />"From that point of view, maybe this is a good thing." <br />On the Net: <br />■ Waveyard: http: / /www.waveyard.com <br />Hosted by GOO e Copyright © 2007 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. <br />2 of 2 11/26/2007 10:22 AM <br />