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 Tucson Water will be expanding the Southeast Houghton Area Recharge Project (SHARP) beyond its current aquifer storage capacity of 1.3 billion gallons of reclaimed water a year.
Innovative Reclaimed Water System Celebrates 40 Years of Water Savings and Management
In 1984, Tucson Water launched the utility’s Reclaimed Water Treatment Plant and the Sweetwater Recharge Facility with ten miles of purple pipeline serving one customer, La Paloma, a nationally acclaimed destination golf course. With expansion fueled by strategic investment and a desire to support sustainable public green spaces, today’s massive, reclaimed water system is a powerhouse of savings and efficiency for Tucson.
This year, Tucson Water’s reclaimed water system celebrates 40 years of providing Tucsonans with recycled water! Using every drop of water more than once keeps our community sustainable, green, and helps our community continue to be responsible Sonoran Desert dwellers. Here are the facts behind Tucson Water’s world-class reclaimed water system:
- There are multiple Tucson Water reclaimed facilities that provide a combination of aquifer recharge, recovery, or direct delivery of highly treated wastewater to Arizona Class A+ standards. The utility distributes this water across nearly 180 miles of purple pipes through multiple booster stations and storage reservoirs. Although extremely clean, this water is not used for drinking water.
- Since building the Sweetwater Facility, Tucson Water constructed the Santa Cruz River Managed Underground Storage Facility (1999), the Lower Santa Cruz River Managed Recharge Project (2003), the Santa Cruz River Heritage Project (2019), and the Southeast Houghton Area Recharge Project (SHARP/2020). In 2023, the Tucson Airport Remediation Project started to produce remediated groundwater to add to the reclaimed water system.
- As an integral part of the City’s One Water 2100 Plan, reclaimed water is used to irrigate golf courses (53%), parks (15%), schools (7%), medians, and more. It’s also used to restore habitat and recreation areas along the Santa Cruz River, at Sweetwater, and SHARP. There are more than 1,000 public, residential, and commercial reclaimed water customers.
- Recycled reclaimed water makes up 12% of Tucson Water’s supply! Using reclaimed water saves enough tap water every year to serve more than 60,000 families.
- Constructed and managed aquifer recharge facilities have the capacity to recover over 30 million gallons of water a day of stored water. Tucson Water meets the needs of our customers’ seasonal use demands. This could be as little as one million gallons of water per day in the winter, or as high as 34 million gallons per day in the summer!
- The utility also recharges recycled water to replenish the aquifer. It will be ready for future use, ensuring local control of a sustainable water resource.
- Future projects include adding basins to recharge reclaimed water, developing more riparian recharge projects, and expanding commercial and industrial applications.
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The Power of Purple Pipes
(video) On the 40th anniversary of the reclaimed water system, Tucson Water Director John Kmiec recounts the powerful role this purple pipe network has played in helping Tucson conserve water and diversify its water resources.
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 Image courtesy Frank Staub
Stop Invasive Plants
Protect Our Desert
As Tucson strives to build a desert urban environment that is sustainable and water-resilient, attacking the spread of noxious weeds is a priority.
Buffelgrass and stinknet are invasive, non-native plant species that damage our habitats, health, and economy. They also compete with native vegetation and wildlife – or intentionally planted landscapes – for space, water, and soil and are highly flammable.
How can you help to stop the spread of buffelgrass and stinknet around your home and in nearby desert areas? Connect to the Save Our Saguaros community. Learn how to identify and monitor invasive plant species. Sign up to volunteer to properly remove buffelgrass, register a “pull” event in your neighborhood, download a pocket guide, and schedule a speaker to educate about invasive plants.
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April is National Garden Month and I want to be plant-smart and water-smart. Can you help me?
Yes! Tap into great resources from our partner Water - Use it Wisely.
There are links, blogs, interactive guides, and pictures to help you select low-water-use plants, define your landscape style, create an irrigation system, harvest rainwater, and improve soil. Check on the Drab to Fab video case studies. It’s free, clickable, and fun! Good luck.
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Not an Emergency?
Use the Tucson 311 App
Download and use the new Tucson 311 app to report and track non-emergency issues: potholes, graffiti, code concerns, water waste, park concerns, abandoned buildings, and more. Connect to city services and experts. If you're already a SeeClickFix user, download Tucson 311 and enter your same credentials.
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Earth Day and Beyond:
Creating a Sustainable Tucson
Access climateaction.tucsonaz.gov to find out about projects, plans, and teams that are creating a greener, cooler, and more resilient Tucson! This hubsite will connect you to representatives from the City, neighborhoods, nonprofits, elected offices, advocacy groups, utilities, volunteer agencies, and partners involved with these sustainability initiatives:
- Storm to Shade green infrastructure program
- Tucson Million Trees
- Resilient Together Climate Action Plan
- Electric Vehicles
- Solar Tucson
- Team Up to Clean Up
Connect and take action to make a difference in Tucson’s future!
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Sign Up for Paperless Utility Billing AND a Chance to Win a $500 Visa Gift Card
Opt to go paperless to pay your utility bill – and you’ll have an opportunity to enter to win one of two $500 Visa gift cards! Enter between Feb 1, 2024 and April 30, 2024, using one of these three methods*:
- Set up Auto Pay billing
- Make 3 online payments in a row
- Send in a postcard
* Go to tucsonaz.gov/water/sweepstakes for conditions, terms, & detailed instructions.
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City of Tucson
Environmental Services
 Prevent Battery Fires!
Don’t put auto, rechargeable, small button, and lithium batteries in trash or recycling bins. These batteries can ignite, endangering collection drivers and recycling facility workers. Save and dispose of batteries at a Second Saturday Household Hazardous Waste collection event each month.
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Pima County
Wastewater Reclamation
 Grease Drop-Off
Collect and take your used cooking fats, oils and grease to Pima County’s drop-off site at Agua Nueva Water Reclamation Facility, 2947 W. Calle Agua Nueva, Monday-Friday, 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. For more info, call 520-405-0438 or click here. Help to prevent clogged pipes and plumbing problems!
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 Water Matters is a monthly newsletter brought to you by Tucson Water
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