Managed Aquifer Recharge for the Arizona Desert: The Development of Large Surface Water Spreading Facilities

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ABSTRACT & POWERPOINT PRESENTATION Managed Aquifer Recharge for the Arizona Desert: The Development of Large Surface Water Spreading Facilities Mario R. Lluria, Ph.D., P.G.

1 ABSTRACT & POWERPOINT PRESENTATION Managed Aquifer Recharge for the Arizona Desert: The Development of Large Surface Water Spreading Facilities Mario R. Lluria, Ph.D., P.G. Senior Professional Geohydrologist Hydrosystems, Inc. Phoenix, Arizona Managed Aquifer Recharge Symposium January 25-26, 2011 Irvine, California Symposium Organizers: National Water Research Institute Orange County Water District Water Research Foundation

2 Managed Aquifer Recharge For The Arizona Desert: The development of large surface waterspreading facilities Mario R. Lluria, Gary G. Small and Floyd Marsh Hydrosystems, Inc., Phoenix, Arizona For decade s agriculture, industry and the urban areas of southern Arizona relied principally on groundwater for its sustenance, development and growth. Although Phoenix had a limited supply of surface water from the Salt Project (SRP) surface reservoirs on the Salt and Verde s this source is subjected to extreme weather changes typical of this semi-arid region of North America. The considerable overdraft of the aquifers limited their continued use as the main water supply. Import of surface water, water re-use, water conservation and strict control of groundwater abstraction were implemented. In 1993 the Central Arizona Project Aqueduct, which conveys all of Arizona s Colorado (CAP) water entitlement, was completed. To store and manage this new water resource, large storage facilities were needed but none existed. One small surface reservoir was built by enlarging an existing one. However, many more were needed especially adequately distributed regionally to serve the numerous and widely spread agriculture and urban centers. Since the available volumes of CAP water were large the storage facilities needed to be of considerable capacity. Surface water-spreading facilities were the most adequate for that purpose. Given the necessary hydrogeologic conditions, they are the more costeffective and rapid construction and operation alternative. The Salt Project in partnership with six Phoenix area municipalities constructed and started the operation of the Granite Reef Underground Storage Project (GRUSP) in May, This facility consisting of seven recharge basins constructed in the dry channel of the Salt has stored to date (12/2009) approximately one million acre-feet of CAP water and smaller volumes of reclaimed water. Its operation has notably contributed to replenish the aquifer, improved the groundwater quality and improved the management of the water resources of several of its users. The GRUSP has an annual capacity under favorable conditions of 100,000 acre-feet. This pioneer project was followed by several other large water-spreading facilities in Phoenix and in the city of Tucson. Today there are ten other large facilities with a total annual aquifer storage capacity of approximately 650,000 acre-feet of water. Most store CAP water except GRUSP and SRP s NAUSP facility which also store reclaimed water and Salt and Verde s water. These facilities with minor contributions from many small surface water-spreading facilities, which predominantly store reclaimed water, have made the use of MAR as a very appropriate and successful technology for the management of the limited water resources of this fast growing desert area of the southwestern U.S.A. When sufficient land is not available because of its high cost or space limitation due to high urban development, some municipalities store their CAP water in the aquifer using vadose zone recharge wells. The Water Campus facility in Scottsdale, Arizona uses these wells to recharge both CAP water and reclaimed water. Aquifer Storage Recovery (ASR) wells are much less frequently used to recharge CAP water in Arizona because of the much higher storage unit cost as compared to surface water-spreading basins or vadose zone recharge wells. The SRP has tested an ASR system using treatment of raw canal water at the wellhead and employing existing deep production wells located next to their canal system that could become operational in the future.

4 A Historical Overview

5 M.A.R. Development Main Reasons for its Progress Development Phases Regulatory Framework Water Spreading vs Well Recharge Institutional Involvement Water Spreading Facilities The Future of Water Spreading

Basin Recharge in McMicken Dam* Phoenix,

8 This phase consisted mostly of tests by Universities and research centers Flushing Meadow Project Phoenix, AZ Off channel basins in the Salt Treated effluent SAT Dr. Herman Bouwer, USDA / USWCL ( ) Basin Recharge in McMicken Dam* Phoenix, AZ Well recharge using cooling tower effluent in Tucson Dr. L.G. Wilson and others at University of Arizona WRRC (1960 s) *Photo: Flood Control District of Maricopa County

Sweetwater Project* Tucson, AZ Reclaimed

zone recharge wells Reclaimed water Cave

9 Sweetwater Project* Tucson, AZ Reclaimed water Four 0.75 acre basins Granite Reef Underground Storage Project Phoenix, AZ Studies and design completed Full scale CAP water Water Campus Project Scottsdale, AZ Vadose zone recharge wells Reclaimed water Cave Creek Recharge Project Phoenix, AZ First ASR well in Arizona *Photo: ADWR Website

Water Spreading Facilities 1994 2010 Capacity exceeding 50,000

10 Granite Reef Underground Storage Project Phoenix, AZ 1994 commenced operation Permitted for 200,000 acre feet/year 9 Large Water Spreading Facilities Capacity exceeding 50,000 acre feet/year CAP Aqueduct* Completed to Phoenix and Tucson *Photo: CAP Website

11 City of Surprise SPA 1 Surprise, AZ Vadose Zone Recharge Wells Hassayampa Recharge Facility Near Prescott, AZ Water Spreading by river channel Fountains Sanitary District Fountain Hills, AZ ASR Wells

12 Agencies Army Corps of Engineers Federal State County / Municipality Environmental Protection Agency Arizona Department of Water Resources Arizona Department of Environmental Quality Flood Control District Permits Underground Storage Facility Water Storage Laws Clean Water Act Clean Water Act 1980 Groundwater Management Act Recharge and Underground Storage and Recovery Act 1986 Aquifer Protection Permit Environmental Quality Act 1986 Floodplain and Flood Use Permit Local Ordinance

13 Water Spreading ASR Well Vadose Zone Well Capacity 5, ,000 ac ft/yr < 5,000 ac ft/d 1,000 15,000 ac ft/yr Water Source CAP, RW, S&V, Mixed RW, CAP RW Unit Cost ($/ac ft) Very low High Intermediate Number of Facilities

Central Arizona Water Conservation District (CAWCD) Colorado Water Purveyor Arizona Water Banking Authority (AWBA) Better Utilization of Arizona:

14 Central Arizona Water Conservation District (CAWCD) Colorado Water Purveyor Arizona Water Banking Authority (AWBA) Better Utilization of Arizona: Colorado Entitlement Groundwater Replenishment Districts Salt Project (SRP) Salt and Verde s Water Purveyor Municipalities Irrigation Districts Water Companies

15 Water Sources Available for Aquifer Storage Colorado Water (CAP) Salt and Verde Water (SRP) Reclaimed Water (treated municipal effluent) (RW) Treated Industrial Effluent (IRW)

16 Granite Reef Underground Storage Project GRUSP New Agua Fria Underground Storage Project NAUSP MBT Ranch Recharge Project Lower Santa Cruz Managed Recharge Project LSCRMRP Hassayampa Recharge Facility

17 Roosevelt Dam Arizona Canal

18 West GRUSP UAU Salt Granite Reef Dam Mount McDowell T M Detachment fault East Verde 300 ft LAU Y g Y g Aquifer UAU LAU T M Upper Alluvial Unit-Quaternary Lower Alluvial Unit-Pleisto cene Red Unit Fanglormerates Miocine Scale in Mile f Y g f Tovrea Granite-precambria

19 Development In channel basins in the Salt Recharge capacity 100,000 acre feet/year (125 M mm3/year) Near SRP and CAP water infrastructure Started operation in 1994 Total cost $2.2M

20 South Canal BCW Headworks Basins Aquifer Storage

21 System Components Inflow Structures SRP South Canal Delivery Units Delivery Channel Recharge Units 7 basins: 225 acres (90 hectares) Monitoring System BCWs wells

24 Site Selection Geology Hydrogeology Engineering infrastructure Environmental factors

25 W E White Tank Mountains BR Agua Fria NAUSP BR Salt GRUSP McDowell Mountains Red Mountains BR UAU MAU LAU UAU MAU LAU DF West Salt Valley Basin East Salt Valley Basin

Cavecreek Carefree Peoria Scottsdale Surprise Arizona El Mirage Youngtown Phoenix Fountain Hills Buckeye Litchfield Park Goodyear Avondale Glendale Tolleson Grand Western

26 Cavecreek Carefree Peoria Scottsdale Surprise Arizona El Mirage Youngtown Phoenix Fountain Hills Buckeye Litchfield Park Goodyear Avondale Glendale Tolleson Grand Western Canal Canal Canal Paradise Valley Guadalupe X-Cut Tempe Arizona Tempe Canal Chandler Gilbert Canal Consolidated Canal Mesa South Canal Eastern Canal Queen Creek Apache Junction

27 Gila Gila Salt Salt Agua Agua Fria Fria New New Avondale Buckeye Goodyear Glendale Sun City Phoenix El Mirage Glendale Buckeye Goodyear Avondale Sun City Phoenix El Mirage LUKE AIR FORCE BASE Gila Gila Agua Agua Salt Salt Fria Fria New New ,000 1,020 1,040 1,060 1,080 1,100 1,120 1,140 1,160 1,180 1,200 1,220 1, Goodyear Glendale Buckeye Avondale Sun City Phoenix El Mirage Gila Salt Fria New Agua Recharge Site LUKE AIR FORCE BASE LUKE AIR FORCE BASE LUKE LUKE AIR FORCE AIR FORCE BASE BASE

28 Started operation in 2006 Basins In channel and off channel Permit capacity 75,000 acre feet/year Near SRP water infrastructure Total cost $13M

29 Recharge units 6 off channel 1 in channel basins Basin 2 Looking Southwest East Side

30 Delivery units Grand Canal Reclaimed water pipelines Monitoring units 12 wells

31 Type Water Spreading/Basins ADWR Constructed Recharge Facility Location Maricopa County Ownership Vidler Water Company Source Water CAP Capacity 75,000 ac ft/yr

32 Type Water Spreading ADWR Managed Recharge Facility Location Santa Cruz Channel, Tucson Operator Pima County City of Tucson Source Water Reclaimed Water Roger Road and Ina Road WWTPs Capacity 45,000 ac ft/yr

33 Type Water Spreading ADWR Managed Recharge Facility Location Hassayampa, Maricopa County Ownership Summit Global Operator HydroSystems, Inc. Source Water CAP Capacity 25,000 ac ft/yr

34 Availability of unused CAP water decreases More CAP water may become available as agriculture decreases California and Nevada could continue to recharge Colorado Water in Arizona? More reclaimed water is available for aquifer storage New recharge projects will store predominantly reclaimed water Medium to small projects (<5,000 ac ft/yr)

STORAGE FACILITY INVENTORY

ARIZONA WATER BANKING AUTHORITY STORAGE FACILITY INVENTORY UPDATED March 30, 2011 Introduction and Background Pursuant to A.R.S. 45-2452(A), the Arizona Water Banking Authority (AWBA) was required to develop