Peoria unveils Peoria Innovation Corps infrastructure plan; staff outline well program, reclaimed water expansion and advanced purification study

City staff laid out the first phase of the Peoria Innovation Corps (PIC) infrastructure plan and related water-security projects during the FY2026 budget study session, describing a cluster of road, utility and water projects intended to enable growth on state land and to increase Peoria’s long-term water resilience.

Planned PIC projects and schedule Staff highlighted the next 24–36 months of PIC work: construction-ready design for Lake Pleasant Parkway with a new bridge across the Beardsley Canal, Ashlar Hills roadway and utility construction, initial work on 90th Avenue alignment and a sewer conveyance trunk that will connect new northern development to the Beardsley Wastewater Reclamation Facility. The city said much of the engineering for the first-phase roadway and utility work is already well advanced and scheduled for design completion in the spring, with land acquisition and construction targets beginning in mid‑2026.

Water security measures: wells and reclaimed water Staff described a multi-pronged approach to water security: a large well program (test and production wells near the CAP corridor and at spots west of Loop 303); reclaimed water loops that connect the Beardsley and Jo-MaX plants; and a package of booster pump stations and conveyance work to ensure redundancy should allocations change.

City staff noted a rule of thumb estimate: a newly constructed well typically costs about $6,000,000 all‑in. The program presented the near‑term planning and land‑acquisition funding, with many individual well construction costs to be programmed as projects are finalized.

Advanced water purification: feasibility and scale Staff said they are commissioning a feasibility study to evaluate advanced water purification (AWP) — the treatment of reclaimed water to potable quality — and said the city has placed a placeholder in the CIP. The presentation included a staff note that the placeholder ($165 million in the CIP) is likely a small fraction of the total capital cost: staff estimated AWP — including conveyance, treatment and integration — could ultimately reach $1.2–$1.5 billion depending on chosen technologies and system scope.

Why it matters Staff framed the PIC and water investments as foundational for long-term growth and for securing potable water in a region that faces Colorado River allocation uncertainty. The city emphasized multi-year timing: much design work is already underway, but construction and full operations would occur over several budget cycles and would rely on combinations of debt, PAYGO, impact fees, transportation sales tax and outside funding.

Ending Staff asked council to review the phased program and noted that additional land acquisitions, interagency agreements and grant opportunities will be required as projects move from design to construction.