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Casa Grande staff outline effluent strategy, report 2024 volumes and plan study series
Summary
City staff presented an effluent update showing the plant processed 6,301 acre‑feet in 2024, recharged 3,033 acre‑feet and said 1,351 acre‑feet were discharged without credit; staff proposed a multi‑meeting study series to develop an allocation strategy tied to a new alternative assured water supply program.
Unidentified city staff presented an update on Casa Grande’s treated effluent Wednesday, saying the city is developing an allocation strategy as state law and development pressures change.
The presenter said the city processed 6,301 acre‑feet of effluent in 2024, delivered 4,385 acre‑feet to the Santa Cruz Wash, recharged 3,033 acre‑feet (the volume credited by ADWR) and had 1,351 acre‑feet discharged or not reused "that did not get recharged or reused," producing no credit. He added the water reclamation facility expansion will increase capacity to 18,000,000 gallons per day and that the plant treats to an "A plus" quality standard for reclaimed water.
The city is preparing four to five study sessions on water topics starting this winter to walk the council through the implications of recent state changes, including a new "alternative designation of Assured Water Supply" program and ag‑to‑urban provisions. The presenter said the alternative designation allocates water to specific projects rather than individual subdivided lots, which will affect how developers request and secure supply.
"We are nearing the completion of a project that ultimately will take the capacity to 18,000,000 gallons per day," the presenter said. He also noted the city has about 8,764 acre‑feet of long‑term storage credits in its ADWR account balance as of 2021 and that ADWR remains behind in some calculations and awards.
Current direct users were described as consistent customers: the Dave White Municipal Golf Course, which received about 540 acre‑feet this year (the presenter noted positive overseeding results), and the Desert Basin generation station, which took roughly 1,181 acre‑feet for cooling under a long‑term agreement. The presenter also said two industrial users have requested combined direct access to approximately 2,000 acre‑feet of effluent.
Council members asked how developers would meet future requests and whether they would pump groundwater, build new infrastructure, or rely on effluent. One council member asked about the difference between direct use and "paper" water (long‑term storage credits). The presenter described tradeoffs between allocating for direct reuse, reserving credits for assured supply, or pledging future processed volumes back to new developments.
Staff said it hopes to complete the study series by February, with study sessions in January and February, and will return to the council with allocation options, modeling and recommendations.
The presentation included maps and a description of the city’s managed recharge permit (up to 3,500 acre‑feet) for the North branch of the Santa Cruz Wash and explained that recovered credits must be pumped from wells located within the hydrological impact area (approximately within one mile of the recharge site). The presenter emphasized that additional infrastructure would be required to recover stored water.
The council paused for questions after the presentation; staff said it will bring the Arizona Water Company and other partners to future sessions to explain tariff and ACC implications. The study series is intended to produce an allocation strategy that balances existing customers, future development and minimizing volumes of processed effluent that are not reused or recharged.
