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Recharging Groundwater
Replenishment of the underground
aquifer that has been used as a water
supply for decades is a priority since
water levels have dropped over 300 feet
in some areas. At the City’s Beardsley
Water Reclamation Facility and the
Central Arizona Project’s Agua Fria
Recharge Facility (in which the City of
Peoria is seeking to become a partner),
water is placed into recharge basins
where it naturally filters through
hundreds of feet of earth before entering
the groundwater aquifer. In this way,
groundwater supplies are recharged and
available for future use.
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Groundwater recharge allows us to replenish the
underground aquifer. Water is allowed to settle in
recharge basins (1) where it filters naturally back
into the aquifer (2). The groundwater, pumped
through wells (3), may then be used to
supplement surface water sources or as a backup
water supply in time of drought.
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Water Re-use, A Way of the Future
What is it? Water re-use, also known as
water recycling, effluent re-use, or water
reclamation is beneficial since it permits
treated wastewater to be used in
places where potable water is not
required. These systems are either
household, business, or community
based.
| Why are we re-using water? The
purpose is to recycle our water so that
we minimize the use of treated drinking
water for landscaping and grass areas.
Ordinance Development and Adoption:
Peoria is in the process of developing a
new ordinance to allow the community to manage the use of treated effluent for
irrigation purposes in the City. We hope to
start irrigating golf courses in Peoria using
re-use water by next year.
Purple Pipes:
Water re-use
pipes are purple in
color and they
designate that
reclaimed or "nonpotable"
water is
being used. You
will begin to see
them in the future
especially around
golf courses,
parks, and
roadways. |
Photo Courtesy
Quintero Golf & Country Club,
Peoria, AZ
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