Rep. Greg Stanton today announced a $37.5 million authorization he secured through the bipartisan Water Resources Development Act of 2022 to restart, expand and improve Tempe’s Kyrene Water Reclamation Facility, which was shut down to cut costs during the Great Recession. He was joined by Assistant Secretary of the Army (Civil Works) Michael Connor, who will oversee the project through the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and Tempe’s Mayor Corey Woods and Councilmembers Arlene Chin and Berdetta Hodge.

Reopening the plant will boost the city’s groundwater recharge capacity and help the city better protect its water supply. Specifically, it will allow Tempe to reactivate the plant to collect, treat, and utilize its reclaimed water while also adding resiliency to the system.

“We’re showing that when it comes to shaping a more sustainable future for the next generation, strong local-federal partnerships are key,” Stanton said. “Once this plant is reactivated, it will make sure Tempe can provide residents with a clean and reliable water supply—recycling water to get more out of every drop—and protect its water supply for years to come by banking treated water underground.”

“I appreciated the opportunity to tour the Kyrene Water Reclamation Facility with Rep. Stanton and Mayor Woods today and learn about the water challenges facing Tempe. Projects like this will be key to addressing the supply and demand imbalance in the Colorado River Basin and to support drought resilience in the community,” said ASA Connor.

“The work Congressman Stanton put in to get us the WRDA designation will open the door for future funding to rehabilitate, improve and restart the Kyrene plant. This project puts Tempe in an excellent position to leverage a local water resource and contribute to conservation and resilience efforts amid climate change,” Mayor Woods said. “It will improve our drought resilience at a very crucial time for Arizona water utilities and users.”

Photos from the press conference and tour are available HERE.

Stanton, the only member representing Arizona on the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, worked to secure additional federal resources in WRDA to help Valley communities and those throughout the state conserve water and improve resiliency to drought. Information on additional projects Stanton successfully included in the bill is available HERE. These resources build on Stanton’s successful work in 2020 on the $150 million environmental infrastructure authority for the state of Arizona to help rural communities and tribes address their water infrastructure needs. To date, Stanton has delivered more than $24 million in federal assistance to 16 projects across the state under this program in less than two years.

Both the House and Senate have passed separate versions of the WRDA bill and efforts are underway to finalize a bill that can be sent to the President’s desk to be signed into law.