PHOENIX (AZFamily) — Arizona Congressman Greg Stanton and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers gave the green light on some major water infrastructure improvements on Monday.
Known as the Arizona Environmental Infrastructure Authority (AZEI), the initiative will focus on five new water improvements in Tempe, Flagstaff, the City of Maricopa, and Tolleson.
“Water and the drought conditions are maybe the number one issue we’re facing and this will help against fighting that drought,” Stanton said.
The signing will launch construction on several critical projects: reactivation of the long-dormant Kyrene Reclamation Facility in Tempe to collect, treat, and utilize reclaimed water; construction of an aquifer recharge facility in the City of Maricopa to allow for A+ water to be recharged within the city; construction of a detention basin and detaining flood to mitigate flooding from rain events in Flagstaff by collecting waters; and construction of a new well to meet water demands and provide storage tank capacity in Tolleson.
AZEI is said to provide $200 million for water infrastructure projects throughout Arizona. To date, two dozen projects have been funded across the state—a total of $35 million.
The goal is to preserve Arizona’s water and keep our Colorado River full.
“We all have water issues, and so having money available to deal with water issues here in Arizona is critical, not just today but well into the future because we’re a desert and that is not going to change,” said Tolleson Mayor Juan F. Rodriguez.