03-03-2025
Arizona's drinking water is about to change for the better
Climate patterns across the Southwest are trending toward longer and hotter seasons with less snowpack to the north. The result is less runoff to support the Colorado River, which supplies about 36% of Arizona's water.
Arizona has the second largest allocation of Colorado River water, but it receives the lowest priority for this allocation. That means we stand to lose the most if allocations are further reduced.
Groundwater can temporarily offset shortages, but it must be managed carefully for long-term reliance. Many rural areas of the state are seeing steep declines in aquifer water levels.
However, thanks to conservation measures and active management of groundwater resources, Arizona's water use has declined since the 1950s despite our population's growth.
We've also acted to reduce the impacts of drought, but we need every available tool to ensure our long-term water security.
The Arizona Department of Environmental Quality could earn approval this week for rules to implement Advanced Water Purification (AWP), marking a new era for water reliability in our arid state.
AWP presents an opportunity to create a new, safe and reliable source of drinking water to help meet the needs of Arizona residents and businesses.
The new rules create a voluntary program for water agencies of all sizes to increase local water supplies and rely less on imported water from the Colorado River and local groundwater.
In fact, several Arizona cities are well underway with plans for AWP. Scottsdale has been operating an AWP demonstration facility since 1998 and obtained the first permit in the state for small-scale demonstration of AWP for consumption as drinking water.
The city of Phoenix is constructing one of several planned projects with the rehabilitation of its Cave Creek Water Reclamation Plant, which will feature a full-scale AWP facility. And Tucson is in the planning phases for their program.
The proven technology takes recycled water, which is already clean enough to use in the environment for irrigation, and sends it through a high-pressure, multi-barrier filtration system that purifies water to a level that meets and exceeds state and federal drinking water standards.
This purified water is so clean that it can be added to a community's water supply after rigorous monitoring and testing.
Arizona is not alone in this its pursuit of AWP. Communities across the country have implemented similar rules, including Texas, Colorado, California and Florida.
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El Paso Water recently broke ground on its Pure Water Center that will eventually produce 10 million gallons per day of purified water. The city of Aurora, Colo., has been operating its purified water system for more than a decade, and Castle Rock, Colo., operates a facility that it hopes will provide all of their water by 2065.
Los Angeles is constructing a water recycling facility in the San Fernando Valley that will produce drinking water for about 250,000 people. And Florida's Clay County is operating a demonstration facility to showcase the technology.
Reusing wastewater in Arizona for beneficial uses is not new.
Arizona has been practicing water reuse since 1926 when the first wastewater treatment plant, built specifically for reuse, was constructed at Grand Canyon Village.
Now, we use recycled water to cool the nation's largest nuclear power plant, replenish our aquifers, keep dozens of golf courses green, create public open spaces and wildlife habitat with wetlands, and supply one of the world's largest fountains.
Decades of research, water quality monitoring, practical application of water treatment technologies and specialized training and certification for water facility operators have paved the way for AWP to provide our state with a high-quality and renewable source of water.
Arizona's new rules for its use protect public health and the environment, and it creates new opportunities for water supply resilience. We are eager to see them move forward.
Erin Young is president of WaterReuse Arizona, a water recycling trade association. Rob McCandless is a past president of the association. Reach them at eyoung@ and
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Arizona's water supply is about to get a lot more reliable | Opinion
