The City of Peoria announced it is focusing on water reclamation with its 2025 Integrated Water Utility Master Plan during its Sept. 16 meeting.
Water reclamation is the process of purifying wastewater. In an effort to achieve this on a large scale, the City is considering a billion-dollar Advanced Water Purification facility.
There are currently three water reclamation plants in the city. Most of the water treated in the plants is stored underground and solely used for landscaping irrigation.
AWP facilities offer a more thorough filtration process that ensures treated water will be drinkable. City staff believe an AWP facility will serve as a long-term alternative to existing water sources. Furthermore, projections indicate water demand will double by 2052.
Representatives from Carollo Engineers said the facility will take upwards of 14 years to construct and will be very expensive.
The meeting discussed weaning the City away from being completely reliant on the Colorado River. The Central Arizona Project said Arizona is unable to receive its full allocation of water due to the ongoing drought.
Further reductions are expected to be difficult for the City as it receives roughly 61.8% of its water from the CAP.
IWUMPs are prepared by the Water Services Department every seven-to-10 years. The most recent IWUMP was made in 2015. The new IWUMP also focuses on increasing well capacity, connecting the existing water reclamation plants and promoting greater conservation and efficiency measures. (Source)