 Tucson is targeting $8M in federal funds to upgrade aging infrastructure at the Clearwater Renewable Resource Facility, the utility's largest recharge and storage facility for Colorado River water.
Leaving Water in Lake Mead Drives Federal Dollars to Invest in Sustainability Projects
In May 2023 Mayor Regina Romero signed an historic agreement, committing Tucson to forgo delivery of up to 110,000 acre-feet of Colorado River water in Lake Mead over the next three years to conserve water there.
Tucson’s Colorado River Compensated System Conservation Agreement is an all-around win. It not only helps to protect a water source that serves 40 million people, it also provides Tucson with over $44 million in "Investing in America" federal funds to safeguard our local water resources. In September, Mayor and Council approved a package of capital projects funded by this agreement that will drive these goals:
- Recover lost water production capacity
- Help to diversify water resources including maximizing the use of treated wastewater
- Ensure water supplies and sustainability
- Promote water conservation with smart metering
Here are five key projects funded via the Conservation Agreement:
$23.4M Northwest Wells Project: Funds will restore water supplies lost when the utility voluntarily, and proactively, took wells out of service due to the presence of
per - and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) and 1,4-dioxane. This project includes targeted improvements at three wells, restoring up to 3.7 million gallons per day of water production capacity. Project design is slated for spring 2024 with construction completed by summer 2027, pending approvals.
$10.0M Northwest Reclaimed System Augmentation: This project allows Tucson to expand, control, and fully reuse its legally designated portion of treated wastewater from Pima County’s Tres Rios Water Reclamation Facility, water now lost to discharge into the Santa Cruz River. Funds will allow direct delivery of treated wastewater from the Tres Rios Facility to Tucson Water’s existing reclaimed system.
$8.0M Clearwater Renewable Resource Facility Upgrades: The Clearwater facility is Tucson’s primary location where billions of gallons of Colorado River water are recharged and recovered and banked with regional partners. Funds will include upgrades to inlet structures and instrumentation, some over 20 years old. Construction is estimated to be complete in 2025.
$2.5M Shirley C. Scott Southeast Houghton Area Recharge Project (SHARP) Expansion: Conservation funds would add a fourth recharge basin, expanding recharge capacity to 2.6 billion gallons of recycled water per year. This strategic expansion replenishes our aquifer, making water readily available.
$1.0M Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) Implementation Phase 1: Installation of AMI on Tucson Water’s commercial, industrial, reclaimed, and construction-metered accounts puts real-time usage data directly into customer hands for better conservation outcomes.
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