Last week, the City of Peoria announced plans that they would be investing $63.5 million in order to construct five new water wells and a booster pump station.
In order to prepare for an extreme shortage of water, the city has decided to set up wells, the press release noted. This step was taken due to the risk of a decrease in Peoria’s water allocation from the Colorado River, caused by the ongoing drought.
It was discovered that the area north of Loop 303, west of Lake Pleasant Parkway and south of the Central Arizona Project Canal had a higher water quality and greater quantities of water than expected, prompting the construction of a new wellfield in the area. Exploration through water sampling drilling led to this discovery.
The Arizona State Land Department is the main proprietor in the vicinity. Peoria is in dialogue with the department and other regional owners concerning the placement of the wells and road access for the necessary infrastructure.
The Water Infrastructure Finance Authority of Arizona will provide the necessary loans and grants, including a COVID-19 stimulus grant, for the project to be funded.
It is anticipated that the building of the new wells will commence in the coming year, with the aim of ending the project by the spring of 2026.
Four sources of water are utilized by Peoria in order to guarantee a supply: Central Arizona Project, Salt River Project, reclaimed water, and groundwater.
The city of Peoria is entitled to approximately 34,121 acre-feet of CAP water every year. This sum includes an additional 7,000 acre-feet of CAP water that has been leased with the Gila River Indian Community for 100 years.
Peoria has been utilizing around 60-65% of its yearly CAP water allowance to meet customer requirements. Both of the CAP sources have a top priority designation, and they are the last to be reduced when there is a lack of CAP water.
The Salt and Verde River watershed is the source of SRP water, which is collected from the rain and snowmelt and held in check by dams along the rivers. This water is then directed to Peoria by the Arizona Canal. When the levels of the dams are insufficient, SRP pumps groundwater from wells into the canals.
In order to balance the groundwater supplied to Peoria by SRP, the city must top it up by other renewable sources such as the Central Arizona Project or reclaimed water or by cutting back its groundwater allowance.
In Peoria, three water reclamation plants process wastewater, with nearly all of the output used to irrigate public parks and other large, landscaped areas.
The last component of Peoria’s water supply is sourced from groundwater, which is collected over countless years as rainwater infiltrates the earth. Peoria extracts groundwater based on yearly allowances allocated by the Arizona Department of Water Resources.