$37.5 million injection to reboot Tempe water treatment plant after 12-year shutdown

PHOENIX – A long-dormant water treatment plant in Tempe is coming back online after the federal government authorized $37.5 million to reopen in response to persistent drought in the West.

U.S. Rep. Greg Stanton (D-Ariz.) announced the restart Thursday at the facility near Kyrene and Guadalupe roads in the East Valley city.

The plant is designed to collect, recycle and save water that will be stored underground.

“We need to be smart and we need to be proactive about we use and how we save our water resources, both surface and groundwater, to prepare for a hotter, drier future,” said Stanton, who sits on the House transportation and infrastructure committee.

“Once this plant is reactivated, it will make sure Tempe can provide our residents with clean and reliable water supply … for years to come.”

The Kyrene Water Reclamation Facility was shut down 12 years ago, on the losing end of a budget cut during the Great Recession.

“Reactivating this facility directly helps Tempe manage its water supply,” Mayor Corey Woods said.

Woods said the facility would be able to treat an annual average flow of about 4 million gallons per day.

That water treated at Kyrene will be used at the nearby SRP’s Kyrene generating station and to irrigate a public golf course in the area.

“This project puts Tempe in an excellent position to leverage a local water resource and contribute to conservation and resilience efforts amid climate change,” Wood said.

Funding was secured through the Water Resources Development Act of 2022. The Army Corps of Engineers will work on the project.

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