Goodyear expands water portfolio with new surface water treatment facility

The AMWUA cities understand that our resiliency depends on long-term planning and investments in diverse and reliable water portfolios. By investing in and protecting their rights to these multiple water supplies and the infrastructure to move the water where needed, the cities are better prepared for any long-term and short-term challenges.

A prime example of these efforts is the City of Goodyear, which can now treat and deliver surface water to residents and businesses in their community with the opening of the city’s new surface water treatment facility earlier this year.

While Goodyear was already receiving an allocation of Colorado River water (approximately 11,000 acre-feet per year) delivered by the Central Arizona Project (CAP), it was only able to be stored to offset their groundwater use because there simply wasn’t a direct connection to the city’s service area from the CAP canal. Now it has a pipeline connection to the Salt River Project (SRP) system that allows the city to take its CAP water through an agreement with SRP, highlighting the continued collaboration that is so critical to water providers in the Valley.

The new water treatment plant can process eight million gallons per day and serves 19,900 residents. This new facility can reach 16 million gallons of water a day when needed with future expansion. The surface water will be treated with several technologies, including sand-ballasted clarification, ozonation, filtration, and disinfection, then mixed with the groundwater the city has already been utilizing and delivering to residents and businesses across Goodyear. While the city has explained that their water customers may temporarily notice a change to the tap water’s look, taste, and smell with the facility start-up, residents can rest assured that the water is still safe to drink and use. This is expected during the transition process.

Overall, this project further diversifies Goodyear’s water portfolio and will also help the city meet its groundwater management goals. Additionally, having access to another water source will help support the city’s expected growth. That is precisely why the AMWUA cities continue to wisely invest and plan for the long-term, securing their water future while ensuring sustainable and responsible development in our desert communities.

Goodyear’s new surface water treatment facility is another example of the importance of investing in infrastructure in Arizona. This is why Senate Bill 1067 should be a priority in this legislative session. It would streamline the statutory process so that all communities in the state would have access to federal infrastructure funds for the next five years. Thus, Arizona could take full advantage of $600 million of infrastructure funding from the federal government.

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For over 50 years, the Arizona Municipal Water Users Association has worked to protect our member cities’ ability to provide assured, safe, and sustainable water supplies to their communities. For more information, visit www.amwua.org .