Glendale updates council on water supplies, warns of possible Colorado River cuts

Glendale city staff on June 9 told the City Council that continued drought and a record‑low Colorado River snowpack have left regional reservoirs at markedly reduced levels and could force significant cuts to Central Arizona Project (CAP) deliveries.

"Lake Powell sits at just 24% full" and the Bureau of Reclamation’s 24‑month study projects minimum inflows equivalent to about 29% of average, Water Resources Manager Zach Richards said, noting the system’s total storage has fallen from roughly 23 million acre‑feet a year ago to 20 million acre‑feet today. He warned the river system could push Lake Powell below the 3,490‑foot minimum power‑pool this summer, a threshold that would curtail hydroelectric generation and could reduce CAP allocations to Glendale by roughly 20% in 2027 under current federal emergency measures.

The presentation outlined Glendale’s local portfolio and steps intended to protect residents. Richards said the city treats and reuses a substantial portion of wastewater, recharges about 35% of reclaimed supply, and maintains long‑term storage credits. Staff described five strategic well projects (COG 50–54) and a plan to recharge 3,000 acre‑feet this summer. Council members asked for and received approximate well locations (COG 50 near Sack and 67th by Arrowhead Hospital; COG 51 near Sierra Verde Park; one site near Barendon and 67th; another near 75th Avenue and Loop 101; COG 54 near the Glendale Regional Airport).

The council heard a summary of recent federal actions and proposals affecting the basin. Richards reviewed a Bureau of Reclamation draft environmental impact statement and emergency transfers intended to stabilize Lake Powell, and said some federal alternatives could require CAP to shoulder a large share of mandatory reductions. "Several of the federal alternatives would force [CAP] to bear nearly all of the lower basin's mandatory reductions," he said.

Local resiliency measures include expanding groundwater access, increasing surface storage, advancing recycling and treatment options, and a conservation rebate program. Joanne Thompson, who presented the city’s conservation work, said Glendale’s long‑running rebate program has roots in a 1986 landscape rebate and that a recent $450,000 grant from the Water Infrastructure Finance Authority was used for residential and nonresidential rebates, including 11 pool/spa removal rebates. Thompson estimated the expanded rebate package has conservatively saved roughly 20 million gallons so far.

Council members raised enforcement and incentive questions, including whether the city has cited residents for ‘‘water in the street’’ and whether increasing the pool‑removal rebate would raise participation. Staff said the city has rarely — if ever — cited single‑family residents, that businesses may be cited in nuisance cases, and that staff would look into options for boosting pool‑removal incentives.

City staff said the drought management plan — in effect at Stage 1 since June 2022 — will be updated this summer to reflect post‑2026 river operating guidelines and to evaluate whether some restrictions (for example, business misters) should be moved to higher stages to avoid health and safety impacts.

No formal action was taken at the workshop. The city manager’s office said staff will return with proposed contract amendments and presentation materials if federal decisions require local conservation amendments or additional council direction.