Planning, Facilities, Sustainability
Discovering the Clearwater Renewable Resource Facility
What happens at the Clearwater Renewable Resource Facility is critical to Tucson’s continued success evolving into a water-resilient and growing desert city. Over decades, billions of gallons of Colorado River water have been delivered to Clearwater facilities through the Central Arizona Project (CAP) to be recharged, recovered, and served to customers, the surplus banked for the future. These large-scale facilities allow Tucson Water to maximize every drop of Colorado River water, using it as our primary source of drinking water. Here are some facts and figures about the Clearwater Facility:
Visionary Planning: In the 1960s and 1970s the city purchased and retired farmlands and undeveloped land in Avra Valley to build a recharge, storage, and recovery facility.
It’s Two Projects in One: Tucson Water's “Clearwater” encompasses the Central Avra Valley Storage and Recovery Project (CAVSARP) and the Southern Avra Valley Storage and Recovery Project (SAVSARP). CAVSARP construction was complete in 2003; SAVSARP in 2008. The combined construction cost was $252 million.
Basins and more: There are 20 recharge basins on more than 500 acres, 63 recovery wells, two reservoirs, and two massive booster stations. Recharge basins are a key infrastructure at Clearwater. The largest basin is 43.1 acres. CAP water infiltrates into a basin at an average of 1 1/2 feet per day. For efficient management, the utility rotates each basin on a wet/dry/plow cycle and focuses operations on cool months to minimize evaporation.
Billions of Gallons Water Served and Stored: In 2022, Tucson Water recharged 71,947 acre-feet* (AF) of Colorado River water at Clearwater and recovered and delivered 70,587 AF to customers. Tucson is permitted to recharge up to 150,000 AF per year! We’ve also been storing surplus water in the aquifer for more than 10 years.
Groundwater Levels are Rising: Since 2000, groundwater levels at the Clearwater Facility footprint have risen more than 150 feet.
Continuing to Invest in Clearwater Facilities: Tucson Water installed 2,120 solar panels in 2021 and is planning $8 million in upgrades to structures and instrumentation, some over 20 years old. Construction is slated to be complete in 2025.
* 1 acre-foot is equal to 325,851 gallons of water, enough to cover a football field with a foot of water.
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