Queen Creek officials outline water redundancy and wildfire response strategy

Utilities Director Mark Skacepek and Fire Chief Vance Gray briefed the Town Council on Jan. 14 about Queen Creek’s water production capacity, redundancy measures and the fire department’s wildfire response strategy.

Skacepek said the town can produce about 56 million gallons per day from 30 wells, with another nine planned to add roughly 9 million gallons per day. He said system storage and booster pumps create the town’s operational flexibility and that the system is largely remotely controlled. Skacepek told council the town’s maximum instantaneous flow capacity is about 83 million gallons per day and that typical peak daily demand is roughly 52 million gallons; he described that difference as the town’s working redundancy to respond to emergencies.

Skacepek said the water system is looped so most areas receive multiple sources of supply, and he identified three delivery zones and storage tanks that act as “shock absorbers.” He said backup generator capacity is a focus — particularly at well sites — and the town plans generator installations across zones to maintain pump operation during power outages, noting that generators depend on fuel availability. Skacepek also described hydrant maintenance; the town inspects roughly 600 hydrants a year and plans a refreshed comprehensive hydrant evaluation beginning this year.

Chief Gray described Queen Creek’s wildfire‑response posture and said the town participates in the Maricopa County Community Wildfire Protection Plan and updates it every five years. He distinguished Queen Creek’s hazards from higher‑risk areas elsewhere, saying much of the town’s adjacent open space is composed of lighter fuels and washes that are channelized and narrower than the broad, heavily vegetated areas seen in some other recent major wildfires. Gray told council the department’s strategy includes protecting structures and exposures and coordinating automatic aid when incidents cross jurisdictional boundaries.

Chief Gray and Skacepek discussed the town’s ability to draw non‑system water in extreme events, including hydrant meters, interconnects with neighboring utilities (planned interconnects with Gilbert and EPCOR), irrigation districts and, as a last resort, lake siphoning for pumper trucks. Gray said Queen Creek fire crews have not run calls on the hillside mountain jurisdiction in recent years and that the town’s incident counts in washes and trails are low (six calls over three years), a context he said informs tactical response choices.

Councilmembers asked several operational questions. Councilmember Brown asked about the town’s pumping capacity versus peak demand and about electrical redundancy; Skacepek explained pumping capacity (56 million gallons per day), peak demand (about 52 million) and said backup generators are being added from east to west so gravity can be relied on if needed. Councilmember Padilla asked about LG Energy Solution and battery fire risk; Chief Gray said the town treats LG’s facility protection similarly to other large commercial sites, noted differences in battery fire response tactics elsewhere and highlighted that the department carries an aqueous firefighting additive (F‑500) for certain incidents. Gray also reiterated the town’s emphasis on hydrant reliability and coordination between water and fire operations.

Both department heads told council they consider the town’s water and firefighting systems robust and that continued maintenance, generator and hydrant work and interagency coordination remain priorities.