Goodyear staff outline water and wastewater upgrades as growth strains systems

BARB, a water department staff member, told the Goodyear City Council at a March 3 work session that the city’s updated Integrated Water Master Plan (IWMP) shows rapid growth has consumed system capacity faster than expected and lays out infrastructure and resource options to serve future customers.

The plan assesses the city’s “paper water” (legal water rights), physical systems for drinking water and wastewater, and reclaimed water and storage. "This plan should be updated every 5 years," Barb said, and it uses the General Plan’s growth projections to model when and where new capacity will be needed.

The IWMP shows Goodyear has a diverse portfolio, led by surface‑water supplies from the Colorado River delivered through a new pipeline and surface water treatment plant. Barb said the city currently operates an 8,000,000‑gallon‑per‑day surface water treatment plant and recommended expanding it to 16,000,000 gallons per day. The presentation also examined a severe hypothetical shortfall—an "extreme 65% shortage" on Colorado River supplies—and found that such an event would limit the city’s ability to grow.

On local groundwater, Barb pointed to differences among mapped aquifer subbasins and noted that Arizona Department of Water Resources (ADWR) moratoria on groundwater‑reliant growth applied to three Phoenix AMA subbasins but not the Rainbow Valley subbasin in southern Goodyear. "That area can still get certificates of assured water supply and grow using ground water," she said.

Barb listed recommendations including adopting a formal water policy, maximizing beneficial uses of reclaimed water, seeking groundwater designation for Rainbow Valley, and pursuing participation in the Salt River Project’s Bartlett Dam modification project, which could increase storage availability. She described the Bartlett Dam modification as a multi‑stakeholder effort involving about 22 participants including cities, tribal entities and private providers.

On distribution infrastructure, the IWMP recommends adding storage and a pressure‑zone break to maintain pressure across Planning Area 2 without overpressurizing Planning Area 3, and expanding some groundwater treatment facilities so additional well pumping capacity can be used. For wastewater, the plan recommends implementing a brine/brine‑management solution to remove byproducts of groundwater treatment from the sewer system and accelerating design and construction of expansions at the 150 Seventh Avenue Water Reclamation Facility and the Rainbow Valley Water Reclamation Facility.

Councilmembers and staff discussed conservation and operations. Councilwoman Dills raised turf replacement incentives and asked about programs to reduce nonfunctional turf; Barb said the city offers a residential turf‑conversion rebate and that staff applies for WIFA/WIPA grants to expand the program. Councilmember Cano asked about the ADWR certificate process; Barb said ADWR review timelines vary and could take months or up to a couple of years, depending on agency workloads.

Paul, a staff member, said the city’s hydrant maintenance program inspects 50% of hydrants each year so each hydrant is exercised every two years, and that the city notifies the fire department when a hydrant or pipe segment is taken out of service for repair. Barb and other staff said private water providers (for example, Liberty Utilities and Epcor where they serve) maintain their own infrastructure.

Barb said the IWMP will inform an upcoming rate study, impact‑fee analysis and the city’s five‑year capital improvement program. Next steps she outlined: bring a draft water‑resources policy to a future work session in spring, return to seek adoption of the IWMP and policy later, and draft ordinances in the fall to enforce the policy with stakeholders; finance staff will coordinate rate and impact‑fee work.

The presentation included quantitative details discussed during the meeting: a city population cited by Barb of about 117,000; the existing surface water plant capacity at 8,000,000 gallons per day and a recommendation to expand to 16,000,000 gallons per day; average brine byproduct flows of about 800,000 gallons per day with summer peaks up to 1,500,000 gallons per day; and the city’s hydrant program schedule (50% of hydrants per year). Barb and councilmembers emphasized continued conservation efforts, reclaimed water recharge and direct reuse opportunities, and the need to coordinate with ADWR, Salt River Project and private providers before major construction or designation actions.

No formal vote or motion was made at the work session. Staff were directed to continue work on the water‑resources policy, to return with the IWMP and policy for adoption, and to coordinate rate and impact‑fee studies with finance.