This past week, Western states that depend on the Colorado River failed to agree on rules for sharing increasingly scarce water resources, so the federal government may impose its own. Current proposals being discussed could cut Arizona’s share significantly.
Scottsdale relies on the Colorado River for roughly 70% of our water, putting us more at risk than other Arizona cities. While there is no certainty, Scottsdale needs to plan for a 20-30% reduction.
The good news is that for over 25 years, Scottsdale’s Advanced Purified Recycled Water (APRW) facility has treated water to a level that exceeds drinking water standards. The city has also invested in stronger building codes, conservation programs and rebates, and near real-time leak detection meters in order to conserve a significant amount of water.
With the current situation, Scottsdale is likely to face deep cuts, but we have the technical ability to overcome the challenges and create a future that better manages this precious resource.
Scottsdale’s best sources of “new” water are the supplies we recycle and conserve. Additional enhancements to the APRW facility is key to filling the water gap, which can be brought online more quickly than any other option and is fully within the City’s control. In addition, Scottsdale has roughly three years of stored water credits — an emergency reserve that should be used only to bridge short-term gaps, not as a long-term solution.
Political interference at the city-level could thwart the city’s long-term plans to ‘tap’ the recycled water and continue to reduce water usage within city limits. Some councilmembers have publicly opposed and created angst over the City’s treated recycled water.
The truth is that we are already drinking recycled water. Every drop of water has been recycled since before the dinosaurs. Communities treat wastewater, discharge it into rivers or aquifers, and then treat it again for drinking—all under strict federal and state laws like the Clean Water Act and Safe Drinking Water Act.
The point is that all water is recycled. The key is the quality of treatment and on that front, Scottsdale has been a global leader for decades. Today, every metropolitan area in the West is building APRW capacity.
Scottsdale’s conservation programs are just as critical. Efforts to defund programs and eliminate staff positions to create an illusion of cost savings are a threat to our community’s water security.