Mayor Kate Gallego Directs $65 Million for Phoenix Advanced Water Purification Recycling Center

PHOENIX — Mayor Kate Gallego and the Phoenix City Council voted unanimously on Monday to approve a $65 million municipal water capital infrastructure contract to begin detailed engineering and site construction on the 20-million-gallon-per-day (MGD) Cave Creek Advanced Water Purification Facility (AWPF) in North Phoenix.

The facility, managed through the Phoenix Water Services Department, deploys a multi-barrier purification train—including membrane bioreactors, reverse osmosis filtration, ultraviolet advanced oxidation (UV/AOP), and granular activated carbon—to recycle municipal wastewater into ultra-pure, crystal-clear drinking water that meets all state and federal drinking water standards.

Securing a Drought-Proof Water Supply for Phoenix's Future Amid long-term Colorado River drought reductions, Phoenix has pioneered aggressive water conservation and local recycling strategies, ensuring that every drop of municipal water is treated, recycled, and reused within the local water system.

"In the Sonoran Desert, water is our most precious resource, and Phoenix is leading the nation in sustainable, innovative water management," Mayor Kate Gallego said at the Cave Creek Water Reclamation Plant. "We cannot rely solely on the Colorado River for our future water security. This $65 million investment in advanced water purification allows us to recycle 20 million gallons of water every day, creating a clean, local, and drought-proof water supply that supports our families and our thriving economic growth."

Facility Engineering and Purification Specifications The $65 million contract funds:

• Multi-Stage Advanced Purification Train: Installing commercial reverse-osmosis skids and high-intensity UV advanced oxidation reactors.
• 8 Miles of Purified Water Conveyance Mains: Connecting purified water directly to municipal drinking water distribution reservoirs in North Phoenix.
• Automated Real-Time Water Quality Sensors: Continuous online monitoring measuring turbidity, conductivity, and organic carbon every three seconds.

Water resource engineers, regional business leaders, and environmental conservation federations commended the municipal council action, emphasizing that advanced water recycling provides climate-independent water security for desert cities.