Construction may begin next year on the building of a big water purification plant in Phoenix.
The proposed North Gateway Advanced Water Purification Facility will go up on the northwest side of Arizona’s largest city and will be capable of treating up to 8 million gallons of wastewater a day or 7,500 acre-feet annually.
That treatment will convert the wastewater into potable water.
Long anticipated by local officials, the project is taking a significant step forward with the awarding of just over $179 million in federal funds coming out of the Inflation Reduction Act, which was passed by Congress in 2022.
Within that legislation is an initiative called the Lower Colorado River Basin System Conservation and Efficiency Program which is designed to address drought issues while enhancing conservation efforts in the river basin system.
Federal funding for the water purification plant is being matched by just over $320 million in City of Phoenix funds.
In a statement, Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego said the new facility will “not only relieve pressure on the strained Colorado River, it’s also an investment in Phoenix families and the future of our economy.”
Although an exact construction launch date for the facility has not yet been announced, city officials have earlier indicated that they would like to see the plant completed by sometime in 2030.
August 26, 2025
By Garry Boulard
Photo courtesy of the City of Phoenix
