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Avondale officials say diversified water portfolio gives time to plan despite deepening Colorado River stress
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Summary
Public Works Director Kirk Beatty told the City Council April 6 that Avondale's mix of Salt River Project, Colorado River and effluent supplies makes the city resilient now, but potential cuts to Central Arizona Project deliveries and pending state legislation could force changes to growth and rates.
Public Works Director Kirk Beatty told the Avondale City Council on April 6 that the city's current water portfolio is diversified and stable for now, but the worsening Colorado River conditions and state-level developments pose meaningful risks to future supply and growth.
Beatty said Avondale's renewable portfolio currently consists of about 44% Salt River Project (SRP) water, 18% Colorado River water delivered through the Central Arizona Project (CAP), and roughly 33% effluent. "We used approximately 52% of our portfolio in 2025, or about 15,909 acre-feet," he said, citing Avondale's recent annual water report submitted to the Arizona Department of Water Resources.
That mix, he said, plus a groundwater allocation of 46,880 acre-feet and roughly 143,200 acre-feet in long-term storage credits (about nine years of demand at current use), gives Avondale a buffer as the region copes with drought. "We have nine years to meet, we would be able to meet nine years of demand based upon our current use," Beatty said.
Nut graf: The city's portfolio provides short-term resiliency, but pending federal and state actions could reduce CAP deliveries or limit how municipalities store CAP water, creating pressure on rates, development approvals and investments in alternative supplies.
Beatty told council that SRP water cannot be banked for future use and is limited to SRP service areas; by contrast CAP water and effluent can be stored as long-term storage credits and used citywide. "So in some respects, our water reclamation facility is kinda like a water converter," he said, describing how SRP water used in the city becomes effluent that can be reused elsewhere.
He reviewed state-level proposals and the state's legislative session on water: staff cited roughly 122 water-related bills introduced during the session, with 49 still active and the Arizona Municipal Water Users Association taking positions on about 28 bills. Beatty named several measures of particular concern, including a bill to increase the Colorado River litigation fund and bills that would ‘‘prohibit municipal water providers from earning long term storage credits or storing CAP water during a period of shortage." He warned that measures preventing municipalities from storing or banking CAP water could directly affect Avondale's ability to preserve supplies.
On the river itself, Beatty described worsening system storage and snowpack numbers: "Lake Mead is 34% full. Lake Powell is 25% full," he said, and summarized a Bureau of Reclamation draft environmental impact statement that includes alternatives likely to reduce CAP deliveries substantially — in some scenarios by a majority of CAP volumes. He said industry analysts view a basic coordination alternative as probable, which still could reduce CAP deliveries by about 50–70% in some models.
Council members pressed staff on operational implications. Council Member White asked whether SRP water can be stored; Beatty replied, "We cannot store that water. We have we use what we get." He and others discussed the city's drought preparedness levels (Avondale is at Stage 1) and the trade-offs in moving to higher stages across municipalities.
Beatty also identified projects and partnerships that could offset future reductions, including regional efforts such as Bartlett Dam (staff cited an estimated project cost increase and Avondale's potential contribution) and advanced water purification projects being tracked by other cities. He said Avondale is monitoring the Water Infrastructure Finance Authority's long-term augmentation work and is a member of an Offtaker Committee that could preserve options for future supply projects.
Beatty highlighted recent local conservation progress: a WIFA-funded audit found potential savings of nearly 3 million gallons per year, including repair of a leak that will save about 850,000 gallons annually, and a voluntary "reduce your use" program that enrolled about 150 participants and saved more than 2 million gallons.
On quality and compliance, Beatty said the city has completed required lead service-line inventory deadlines and is working on remaining verifications; he noted PFAS remains part of ongoing monitoring.
The presentation closed with staff offering to return with updates as state, federal and regional decisions unfold. "We're in a good position with regard to our designation and our recharge permit," Beatty said, while cautioning that costs for new projects continue to rise and future shortages would require new investments or development trade-offs.
The council took no formal action; staff said they will continue monitoring proposed legislation, regional negotiations, and the Bureau of Reclamation process and will report back as conditions change.
