Oro Valley's Golf Land Changes Seasons in October, and the Vistoso Pond Is Part of It

During the first week of October, crews at Vistoso Trails Nature Preserve were pumping water out of a pond. The rain from the week before had pooled in the basin they are rebuilding. Before work could continue, the ground had to dry, so equipment spread the mud around to help it dry evenly. When this basin finally holds water again, it will be reclaimed water that the Town meters in through a pump and a sensor.

A few miles south, the Town-owned Pusch Ridge course is going through its own changeover. Its 9 holes close every summer, which saves drinking water, and the operator expects golf to return around the end of October. Both properties started as golf land, and water decides how Oro Valley can use each of them. This month, both are at a turning point.

The Basin That Was Almost Filled In

The 2.5-acre pond along W. Vistoso Highlands Drive belonged to the old golf course. The preserve itself exists because of residents. Preserve Vistoso, a 501(c)(3) formed in 2019, raised $1.8 million toward The Conservation Fund's purchase of the land, and The Conservation Fund donated the preserve to the Town on July 8, 2022.

What to do with the empty basin took Council more than two years to decide, and the plan reversed along the way. The Town's project history page lays out the sequence:

1. April 17, 2024. Council voted unanimously for a "Desert Garden" park node. The plan was to remove the old bulkheads and then fill and reshape the basin instead of refilling it.
2. September and November 2024. Council kept the desert garden concept and reviewed Kimley-Horn's 60% design.
3. December 4, 2024. Council told the Town Manager to add a pond concept and cost estimate to the consultant's scope, which put a restored pond back on the table.
4. April 16, 2025. Council reversed the 2024 decision 4–2 and chose to restore the pond with reclaimed water, adding other amenities in phases as money becomes available.
5. April 8, 2026. On a 6–1 vote, Council approved $461,399 from General Fund Contingency, bringing the project total to $2,033,939. That covers the pond and a memorial garden, plus a parking lot and an ADA connection to the existing path.

When KOLD covered the 2025 vote, each side described the pond in terms of water. Mayor Joe Winfield pointed to the ongoing cost of replacing water lost to evaporation. Vice Mayor Melanie Barrett put the case for it this way:

"something beautiful restored"

Reclaimed Water Shapes the Whole Design

Everything new at the pond is built around reclaimed water. An enclosed pumping system will draw from an existing reclaimed water connection through a wet well, intake screening, and a skid-mounted pump unit with filtration and controls. Recirculation and aerators on the pond bottom keep the water moving and oxygenated. The Town's stated goal is "a stable, managed amenity rather than a stagnant water feature."

The pond also has to share its water source with the rest of town. A water level sensor will coordinate filling the pond with Oro Valley's other reclaimed water needs so the system doesn't get overloaded. The first fill starts slowly to protect the new liner, and an overflow structure sends excess water into the wash next door. Water from the pond will also irrigate the planting around it, using drip lines for trees and shrubs and sprinklers for future turf areas.

Using reclaimed water has drawn objections. In May 2026, KGUN reported that Archaeology Southwest opposed filling the pond with reclaimed wastewater, citing PFAS concerns. Town Manager Jeff Wilkins said the Town takes those concerns seriously and had ordered a design review for compliance with environmental standards. Wilkins also told the Explorer that the Town had committed more than $2 million to the restoration.

Where the Path Stands This Month

Contractor KE&G started construction on August 10, 2026, by removing the old bulkhead. The Town's weekly updates since then follow a steady pattern. Crews broke up the old liner and the concrete walls in late August. Grading took most of September, with rain delays more than once. By the end of the month, trees around the edge of the pond had been removed and sleeves for the aeration system were in.

The September 9 update expected the liner "in approximately two weeks." As of the October 7 update, the liner still wasn't in. The pump skid had arrived, the wet well was due the following week, and a liner consultant was waiting for the basin to dry before inspecting it. The September Town Manager's report forecast completion "before the end of this calendar year." No date has been announced for filling the pond or opening it to visitors.

The rest of the preserve stays open while the work continues. The Town lists hours as dawn to dusk on a 6.2-mile paved path eight feet wide. Temporary parking is at 945 W. Vistoso Highlands Drive, and the preserve's own address is listed as 955. Since August 4, the trail near the pond has been fenced off, and detour signs are posted. The Town keeps a detour map on the pond project page.

One more decision could add to what eventually surrounds the pond. In September, Council tabled a request to apply for a Land & Water Conservation Fund grant for recreation amenities at the preserve and moved it to the Oct. 7 meeting, asking staff to come back with options and pricing. The Town lists restrooms, trail connections, ramadas, benches, and a small lawn as possible uses for that kind of grant.

Pusch Ridge Runs on the Opposite Calendar

Vistoso is gaining water. Pusch Ridge closes its golf course every summer, partly to use less. A 2024 Town operations analysis found that the 9-hole course irrigates with potable water. The summer closure saves water, but at the time there was no clear way to eliminate the course's annual use of 30 to 40 million gallons of potable water. The course closed in March 2020, and the Town resumed operations in November 2021 under a three-year trial that Council paired with a feasibility review, including alternatives for water use.

Disc golf fills the summer gap. At a June 21 meeting, the Explorer reported, Council voted 6–1 to limit disc golf at Pusch Ridge to June through September, when regular golf is closed, except for special tournaments in cooler months. This year's 18-hole disc golf season at 10000 N. Oracle Road ran daily from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., May 30 through September 20, 2026. The Town budgeted zero rounds of golf at Pusch Ridge for September.

The quiet summer has also been put to use for birds. Town parks staff worked with the Audubon Society to install 17 bird boxes along the course. Friends of Pusch Ridge Golf says the fifth golf season since the 2021 reopening ended May 17, 2026, and the group hopes to earn full Audubon certification during the 2026–2027 season.

The El Conquistador course page says golf is open "end of October through mid-May," with temperature and grass conditions permitting. The pro shop number is 520-500-1250. The Town hasn't announced a specific reopening day, so a call to the pro shop is the most reliable way to confirm the first tee time. Golfers already use the bigger 36-hole complex nearby, which is budgeted for 6,500 rounds in September.

Both properties depend on the weather for their timing. Pusch Ridge waits for temperatures to drop and the grass to recover. At Vistoso, this fall's storms have repeatedly slowed the work needed before the liner can go in. Oro Valley residents who follow the summer weekend calendar know the town runs on seasons, and these two properties make that especially clear. For more on how the trails and parks fit into daily life here, see our Oro Valley neighborhood guide.

At Genardini Realty Solutions, we follow changes like the Vistoso pond because they shape what a home near the preserve is like to live in. If you're near Vistoso Highlands Drive or Pusch Ridge and wondering how changes like these might show up in your home's value, Request Your Home Valuation and we'll go through it with you.