Scottsdale parties reach tentative water agreement

by Lynh Bui - Apr. 6, 2010 02:44 PM
The Arizona Republic

A proposal that could inject up to 1 billion gallons of water annually into the region's groundwater supply soon will go to the Scottsdale City Council for consideration.

The council's subcommittee on water resources met Monday to review proposals from Arizona American Water Co., city water experts and Motorola on plans that could reduce the Northeast Valley's reliance on groundwater. The proposals also would lead to cleanup of the North Indian Bend Wash Superfund site in Scottsdale.


Representatives of the three parties supported the proposals as an improvement from previous plans. The agreement is a reversal from the tone last year when stakeholders couldn't see eye to eye on how to manage regional water issues.

The stalemate prompted Scottsdale to examine ways to take over Arizona American Water's customers in the city, either through purchase or condemnation.

Company President Paul Townsley proposed entering into a 40-year agreement with the city to treat the private utility's allocation of renewable surface water, which could be used in place of non-renewable groundwater.

The utility would give Motorola access to its plant on Miller Road to continue treating water from PCX-1, a well owned by Salt River Project that is contaminated with industrial solvent trichloroethylene, Townsley said.

Part of the current problem is that treated water from that well is going into the Arizona Canal and not renewing the region's groundwater supply.

"I really believe that this plan is superior to the plan we heard about a year ago," Townsley said.

The plan, which could take two years to implement, has two parts:

• Arizona American Water and Scottsdale would enter into a "treat-and-transport" agreement in which the water company would pay the city to treat its allocation of Central Arizona Project water. Arizona American Water would design, finance and construct a pipeline between its water system and the city's Chaparral plant to transport the treated CAP water, which would be blended with water from the Chaparral plant and sent into the drinking-water system.

• Motorola would be given access to Arizona American Water's Miller Road facility to treat water from the SRP's PCX-1. That treated water, which would be separate from Arizona American Water operations, would be recharged into the ground to replenish the aquifer.

The concept, which could take two years to implement, was submitted last Thursday to the Environmental Protection Agency and the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality for review. Both agencies are expected to comment on the plan within the next month.

Marshall Brown, executive director of the city's water resources division, called the concept a "sustainable, good, long-term approach" to addressing the region's water issues.

Terry Lockwood, the representative for Motorola and other companies involved in the Superfund cleanup, said the plan proposed would also be beneficial because water recharged into the ground would act as a shield to prevent the Superfund plume from expanding.

But not all were supportive of the proposals.

Richard Alt, a representative for Scottsdale Citizens for Sustainable Water, said two years was too long to wait. He said the city should take over the Arizona American Water Co.

Alt represents a group of Scottsdale residents who are in Arizona American Water's service area. He said the group likely will submit a petition asking the Scottsdale City Council to take over the utility's Scottsdale customers.

"It is definitely the right thing to do to gain control of the entire city of Scottsdale's water-sustainability issue," Alt said.

Arizona American executives have repeatedly said the company is not for sale and would fight any condemnation efforts. Bob Littlefield, chairman of the water issues subcommittee, said he will request the issue go before the council for consideration. That date has not been set.