Reclaimed Water Opportunities for Tucson
April 23, 2021
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On Wednesday, April 14, the WRRC hosted John Kmiec, Tucson Water Interim Director, for a Brown Bag webinar entitled “Tucson Water’s Reclaimed Water System: Providing the Right Water for the Right Use for Nearly 40 Years.” The presentation began with an overview of the legal context that gave the City of Tucson the right to 90% of the recycled water generated by its residents. In 2020, recycled water represented 12% of the city's portfolio, Colorado River water made up 82%, and remediated groundwater, 6%. Recycled water is delivered through 173 miles of purple pipelines to more than 1,000 customers to irrigate golf courses, school fields, and parks. Recycled water is also used for managed aquifer recharge - the process of storing water in aquifers for later recovery. This method allows for the natural treatment of water as it percolates into the aquifer.
Tucson has several recharge facilities: the Sweetwater Wetlands Underground Storage Facility (USF), operating since 1984, the Santa Cruz River Managed USF (1999), and the Lower Santa Cruz River Managed USF (2003). Since 2019, the Santa Cruz River Heritage Project has used effluent recharge to restore riparian habitat to the downtown area. The Southeast Houghton Area Recharge Project opened to the public in 2020, after 11 years of planning. In addition to storing reclaimed water during the winter, this multi-benefit project provides a recreational area with native plants and biking and hiking trails, and offers educational opportunities for schools. Among the many ideas for future water reuse, Kmiec emphasized the possibility of new commercial and industrial uses for this renewable water supply.
Photo: Michael Thomas Bogan