A way has been cleared for the construction of a plant in Tucson that will be geared for turning wastewater into drinking water.
Members of the Tucson City Council have given their unanimous approval to an agreement between the city’s utility company, Tucson Water, and the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, which will lead to the construction of a nearly $87 million facility set to go up on the northwest side of the city.
A project that has long been the subject of negotiations between city, county, and federal officials, the plant upon completion is expected to be capable of converting about 2.5 million gallons of wastewater into drinkable water daily.
The wastewater would come from the Tres Rios Water Reclamation Facility, which is run by Pima County and currently treats around 30 million gallons of wastewater per day. The 2.5 million gallons will comprise up to 5% of Tucson’s total drinking water supply.
The water will be treated through three phases to reach drinking water standards.
The northwest side of the city was selected as a good location for the new plant, notes the Arizona Daily Star, because residents there “have lost a major portion of their local supply due to a shutdown of drinking wells” because of per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances compounds.
The new facility, the first of its kind in southern Arizona, dovetails a larger ongoing effort by Tucson calling for the construction of wastewater conversion projects to be set up around the city as precursors to the building of a larger plant.
An exact timetable for when construction of the new wastewater to water plan will begin has not been announced, but city officials have previously said they would like to see the facility fully operational by 2030.
January 13, 2025
By Garry Boulard
Photo credit Pixabay
