Assuring our Water Supply  Arizona has experienced several dry years of below normal rain and snow pack both here in the desert and the mountains. Even with the recent rain and snow we’ve had this spring, runoff into the Salt and Verde Rivers that provide Peoria with a portion of its water supply are still below normal. In January 2003, the Salt River Project (SRP) cut its water supply by 33% to municipal water providers. Fortunately, due to the foresight and planning of Peoria’s leaders the water supply reduction will have little effect on our community.

Photo Courtesy of SRP

Peoria is fortunate that we have four distinct water supplies. When one water supply is experiencing a drought or low water conditions, the City has three other supplies it can rely on to provide water to its citizens. Peoria obtains its water from not only the Salt and Verde River system, but also from the Colorado River via the Central Arizona Project canal, local groundwater, and most recently from reuse water for non potable water use. Peoria’s diverse water resource portfolio is beneficial to all Peoria citizens, especially in dry years. These dry times remind all of us that we do live in the Sonoran desert and that water is a precious resource we all must conserve.

Drought Plan 

The City of Peoria is finalizing a Drought Contingency Plan for Council adoption. This proactive plan will help Peoria prepare for our water supply future should the drought we are experiencing continue. Public education will be a key component to inform the public on what they can do to help. The drought plan’s goal is to preserve economic stability while balancing any burdens from water use restrictions equally and in accordance with the severity of the drought. To accomplish this, the drought plan includes four stages, triggered by the availability of our water supply. Each of the drought stages has water use reduction goals and outlines ways to achieve them. 

The Council adopted drought plan will be available online: www.peoriaaz.gov/droughtplan