Water Security

The Peoria City Council’s Strategic Priorities include Economic Development, Public Safety and Water Security.

Within the “Water Security” priority includes funds to support Peoria’s safe and assured water supply

As Peoria grows, the City Council has been vigilant in protecting our water resources.

The city committed $170 million dollars in the current budget to support water services infrastructure. Our on-going water strategy includes over $500 million dollars of water-related projects within our 10-year Capital Improvement Plan.

Here is a list of the signature water security projects currently underway:

Reclaimed Water Line 1, a 7.6-Mile pipeline from the Beardsley Reclamation Facility to Paloma Park was completed in October, 2024. Previously, Paloma Park used 39 million gallons of potable water per year for lake maintenance and irrigation, at a cost of $5.80 per 1,000 gallons of potable water. Reclaimed water costs 67% less at $1.87 per 1,000 gallons. This is an annual savings of more than $150,000. More importantly, potable water will no longer be used for plants and the lake, instead preserving it for human consumption. In addition to the pipeline project, the Beardsley Water Reclamation Facility also underwent a major expansion and built a new reclaimed water pump station. Converting the existing facility in lieu of building a new facility saved Peoria approximately $8.3 million. Watch the video for more information.

Large Water Ordinance
To ensure the City of Peoria can supply new growth with a renewable water supply, city management has developed an ordinance for non-residential customers (e.g., commercial, institutional, industrial) that use a relatively high volume of water to ensure best practices are in place for minimizing consumption, maximizing recycling, and reducing water loss.

The ordinance requires future customers, and existing customers seeking to significantly increase their water use, to apply for a city-issued permit before beginning or expanding water service. Such users include:

• Customers who use more than 50,000 gallons per day on average over a one-year period; or,
• Customers who use more than 100,000 gallons in any 24-hour period; or,
• Those customers that are classified as a water intensive user

Implementation of the ordinance is targeted for June 2025.

Watch the video for more information: Council Study Session 11.19.24- Large Water User Ordinance

The Jomax Water Reclamation Facility expansion increases capacity from 2 1/4 million to 3 million gallons per day, allowing for growth in the Vistancia area. Watch the video for more information.

The Beardsley Water Reclamation Facility expansion will increase capacity from 4 million to 6 million gallons per day. We’re expanding the city’s reclaimed water distribution system to move reclaimed water to growth areas, which will reduce the current use of drinking water for irrigation. Watch the video for more information.

We are also constructing 5 new groundwater recovery wells that will be built at the Central Arizona Project Canal and Lake Pleasant Parkway extension. This will allow us to use the water we have already stored in the ground, in the event a future drought reduces our Colorado River allocations. Watch the video for more information.

Turf Reduction Program
In response to the ongoing drought challenge across the Southwest, Peoria Parks and Recreation has initiated a new Turf Reduction Water Conservation program. For every acre of turf removed, the city saves up to one million gallons of precious water! The city will remove non-programmable turf in 18 city parks and replace it with desert landscaping. Playing fields are not part of this project. Learn more: www.peoriaaz.gov/turfreduction

Other Resources:

Ripple Effect is a monthly video series highlighting the city’s ongoing commitment to water security and conservation

Water Conservation Grant Fund

Reservoir Booster Pump Station

Colorado River Shortage Preparations - Agua Fria Recharge Project

Modification of Assured Water Supply Application