Arizona pipeline reduces groundwater pumping
This supports water management goals in the Phoenix Active Management Area by reducing demand for groundwater pumping.
Under the terms of the Lower Colorado Basin Drought Contingency Plan (DCP), Arizona stakeholders agreed to offset Central Arizona Project water reductions to agricultural users by making alternative sources available.
EPCOR has committed to deliver up to 2,200 acre-feet of reclaimed water annually – enough to cover more than 2,200 football fields in a foot of water – from the Pecan Wastewater Treatment Plant to the New Magma Irrigation and Drainage District (NMIDD).
Located between Queen Creek and Florence, the NMIDD encompasses about 27,000 irrigable acres.
EPCOR will deliver highly treated reclaimed water to the district through this new pipeline, the Pecan treatment facility and the NMIDD irrigation system, offsetting water that would have been pumped out of the ground for irrigation.
EPCOR USA president Joe Gysel said: “The Pecan to New Magma Reclaim Water Line is a creative long-term solution for our San Tan customers and helps conserve vital reclaimed water resources. We’re grateful for the grant from the ADWR, which will help us put this important new infrastructure in the ground.”