Tucson Water is making a splash with sparkling water, three Sonoran Desert–inspired drinks created to celebrate the utility’s 125th anniversary and Tucson’s long history of water stewardship.

This project is part of the Tucson Water Runs Deep conservation campaign, which launched in 2023 to support the utility company’s One Water 2100 plan, a comprehensive water management strategy adopted the same year.

Its goal is to treat all kinds of water as equally important for conservation and future use.

“Water is a finite resource and we have the choice to be resourceful with it and use every drop more than once,” said Tucson Water Public Affairs Administrator Natalie DeRoock. “We really want to be able to prepare for the future and leave something special for the future generations to be able to build off of and enjoy.”

DeRoock said she approached Tucson Water Director John Kmiec with the idea of creating a sparkling water beverage. Tucson Mayor Regina Romero helped decide the flavors, all with a nod to the Sonoran Desert: lime and prickly pear, pineapple and prickly pear, and watermelon sandia and prickly pear.

Each flavor represents the past, present and future of water in Tucson, telling the city’s water story. Lime and prickly pear represent the past, pineapple and prickly pear represent the present, and watermelon sandia and prickly pear represent the future, according to DeRoock.

“We have such a strong past even before Tucson Water existed. At the present, we have such a great community here that's really engaged on water issues, no matter what people's opinions are, they really care about water across the board,” DeRoock said.

Each can features artwork inspired by Tucson Water’s history, drawing from photos in the Arizona State Archives and the work of local artists as a nod to Tucson’s vibrant heritage.

Tucson Water collaborated with Brick Box Brewery and Ray Ray’s Sonoran Tea to create the beverages.

“We wanted to work with a local partner. I think it’s really important to support the local economy,” DeRoock said.

Rachel Dacquisto, project manager for the collaboration and owner of Ray Ray’s Sonoran Tea, said she became involved with the project through a partner who knew the tea house had the capacity to can the beverages.

“This project is impactful on many levels,” Dacquisto said. “The opportunity to produce this as a local business is incredible. The function of the product as a consumable versus other typical marketing trinkets in addition to the economic impact of numerous Tucson/Arizona companies that it takes to complete the manufacturing.”

From sitting in on tastings to sourcing all the materials for the drinks, Dacquisto said she’s pleased to see the group’s work come to fruition.

(I’m) “proud to launch the project,” she said. “Proud to be part of a project that is made almost entirely in Tucson and Arizona state and what that means for our local economy.”

From the initial idea to flavor tastings, canning and artwork, the project took about a year to develop.

“We decided to jump on with that and have them help us figure out something that was true and authentic to Tucson water in the city of Tucson,” DeRoock said. “But also true and authentic to our community and our community is so important for us.”

The sparkling water drinks are free and will be available until the end of spring. Tucsonans can visit their local City Council offices to pick up the beverages or find them at citywide events.

“When you give people an experience, you have the ability to create something special for them,” DeRoock said.

Arilynn Hyatt is a journalism major at the University of Arizona and Tucson Spotlight intern. Contact her at arilynndhyatt@arizona.edu.

Tucson Spotlight is a community-based newsroom that provides paid opportunities for students and rising journalists in Southern Arizona. Please consider supporting our work with a tax-deductible donation.