Tempe, Ariz. Will Pump Reclaimed Water Into Local Lake

This city of Tempe, Ariz. is working out a plan to fill the manmade Tempe Town Lake with reclaimed water to free up water for drinking, according to the East Valley Tribune. The reclaimed water would come from a local sewage treatment plant.

City officials said that the reclaimed water would be cleaner than the water that is now in the lake, which is groundwater or Colorado River water from the Central Arizona Project. Both sources are used for drinking.

The treated water would come from a treatment plant that uses ultraviolet disinfection.

The city will need to install a 5-mile pipeline to bring water from the plant to the lake, at a cost of $10.7 million.

Because the lake would still meet safety standards, the biggest hurdle would likely be public perception, said Don Hawkes, Tempe’s water utilities manager, to the Tribune.

Basil Boyd, a Tempe water resources hydrologist, told the Tribune, “Some people get a funny look on their face when you mention it, but I don’t have any comments from people who said out-and-out this is something they wouldn’t accept.”

Source: East Valley Tribune, Tempe, Ariz.