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

www.nwri-usa.org/rechargesymposium2011.htm

Managed Aquifer Recharge For The Arizona Desert: The development of large surface water-spreading 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 River Project (SRP) surface reservoirs on the Salt and Verde Rivers 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 River (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 cost-effective and rapid construction and operation alternative. The Salt River Project in partnership with six Phoenix area municipalities constructed and started the operation of the Granite Reef Underground Storage Project (GRUSP) in May, 1994. This facility consisting of seven recharge basins constructed in the dry channel of the Salt River 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 Rivers 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.

A Historical Overview

• 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

This phase consisted mostly of tests by Universities and research centers

• Off‐channel basins in the Salt River• Treated effluent• SAT 

• Dr. Herman Bouwer, USDA / 

USWCL (1968‐1978)

Flushing Meadow ProjectPhoenix, AZ

• Well recharge using cooling tower 

effluent in Tucson • Dr. L.G.  Wilson and others at 

University of Arizona WRRC 

(1960’s)

Basin Recharge in McMicken

Dam*Phoenix, AZ

*Photo: Flood Control District of Maricopa County

• Studies and design 

completed

• Full scale• CAP water

Granite Reef Underground 

Storage Project Phoenix, AZ

• Vadose zone recharge 

wells

• Reclaimed water

Water Campus Project 

Scottsdale, AZ

• First ASR well in Arizona

Cave Creek Recharge 

Project

Phoenix, AZ

*Photo: ADWR Website

• Reclaimed water • Four 0.75 acre basins

Sweetwater Project* 

Tucson, AZ

• Completed to Phoenix 

and Tucson

CAP Aqueduct*

• 1994 commenced 

operation

• Permitted for 200,000 

acre‐feet/year

Granite Reef Underground 

Storage Project Phoenix, AZ

*Photo: CAP Website

• 1994 ‐2010 • Capacity exceeding 

50,000 acre‐feet/year

9 Large Water‐Spreading 

Facilities

• Water‐Spreading by 

river channel

Hassayampa Recharge 

Facility

Near Prescott, AZ• ASR Wells

Fountains Sanitary DistrictFountain Hills, AZ

• Vadose Zone Recharge 

Wells

City of Surprise SPA‐1Surprise, AZ

Federal State County / 

Municipality

Agencies Army Corps of 

Engineers

Environmental 

Protection 

Agency

Arizona Department 

of Water Resources

Arizona Department 

of Environmental 

Quality

Flood Control 

District

Permits 404 401 • Underground 

Storage Facility

• Water Storage

Aquifer Protection 

Permit

Floodplain and 

Flood Use Permit

Laws Clean Water 

Act

Clean Water 

Act

• 1980 Groundwater 

Management Act

• Recharge and 

Underground 

Storage and 

Recovery Act 1986

Environmental 

Quality Act 1986

Local Ordinance

Water‐Spreading ASR Well Vadose Zone Well

Capacity 5,000 –

150,000 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 38 9 19

• Central Arizona Water Conservation District (CAWCD)– Colorado River Water Purveyor

• Arizona Water Banking Authority (AWBA)– Better Utilization of Arizona: Colorado River Entitlement

• Groundwater Replenishment Districts• Salt River Project (SRP)

– Salt and Verde Rivers Water Purveyor

• Municipalities• Irrigation Districts• Water Companies

• Water Sources Available for Aquifer Storage– Colorado River Water (CAP)

– Salt and Verde River Water (SRP)

– Reclaimed Water (treated municipal effluent) (RW)

– Treated Industrial Effluent (IRW)

• Granite Reef Underground Storage Project– GRUSP

• New River Agua Fria Underground Storage  Project

– NAUSP• MBT Ranch Recharge Project• Lower Santa Cruz River Managed Recharge 

Project – LSCRMRP

• Hassayampa Recharge Facility

Roosevelt Dam Arizona Canal

Scale in Mile

20 1

Lower Alluvial Unit-Pleisto ceneRed Unit – Fanglormerates Miocine

Tovrea Granite-precambria

Upper Alluvial Unit-Quaternary

Yg

Yg

TM

LAU

UAU

LAUTM

Yg

UAU

GRUSPSalt River

GraniteReef Dam Verde

River

Mount McDowell

Detachment fault

300 ft

Aquifer

EastWest

ff

• Development– In‐channel basins in the Salt River– 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

South Canal

BCW Headworks Basins

Aquifer Storage

• System Components– Inflow Structures

• SRP South Canal– Delivery Units

• Delivery Channel– Recharge Units

• 7 basins:  225 acres (90 hectares)– Monitoring System

• BCWs• wells

• Site Selection– Geology– Hydrogeology– Engineering infrastructure– Environmental factors

East Salt River Valley BasinWest Salt River Valley Basin

MAUMAUMAULAULAULAU

GRUSP

MAUMAUMAU

LAULAULAU

Salt River

NAUSP

Agua Fria RiverMcDowell Mountains

E

Red Mountains

White Tank Mountains

W

DFDF

UAUUAUUAUUAUUAUUAU

BR

BR

BR

ArizonaCanal

Arizona Canal

X-C

utGrand

Canal

South Canal

East

ern

Cana

l

Cons

olid

ated

Cana

l

Tem

peCa

nal

Western Canal

Cavecreek

Carefree

QueenCreek

ApacheJunction

Mesa

GilbertGuadalupe

Chandler

Tempe

Goodyear

Avondale

Tolleson

FountainHills

Scottsdale

ParadiseValley

Phoenix

Peoria

Glendale

ElMirageYoungtown

Surprise

LitchfieldPark

Buckeye

GilaGilaRiverRiver

Salt RiverSalt River

Agu

aA

gua

Riv

erR

iver

Fria

Fria

RiverRiver

New

New

Avondale

BuckeyeGoodyear

Glendale

SunCity

Phoenix

ElMirage

85

10

89

84

60

-250-300

-200

-300

-250-200

-300

-150

-100

-50

Glendale

Buckeye

Goodyear

Avondale

SunCity

Phoenix

ElMirage

LUKEAIR FORCEBASE

85

10

89

84

60

GilaGila

Agu

aA

gua

RiverRiver

RiverRiver

SaltSalt

Riv

erR

iver

Fria

Fria

RiverRiver

New

New

900

920

940960

980

1,000

1,0201,040

1,060

1,080

1,100

1,120

1,140

1,160

1,180

1,200 1,2201,240

85

10

89

84

60

Goodyear

Glendale

Buckeye Avondale

Sun

City

Phoenix

El

Mirage

750725

850

825

800

775750

725

750

775

800825

850875

Riv

er

Gila

River

River

Salt

Fria

River

New

Agu

a

Recharge Site

LUKE AIR FORCE

BASE

LUKE AIR FORCE

BASE

LUKELUKEAIR FORCEAIR FORCEBASEBASE

• Started operation in 2006• Basins

– In‐channel and off‐channel• Permit capacity

– 75,000 acre‐feet/year• Near SRP water infrastructure• Total cost

– $13M

• Recharge units– 6 off‐channel– 1 in‐channel basins

Looking Southwest

East Side

Basin 2

• Delivery units– Grand Canal– Reclaimed water pipelines

• Monitoring units– 12 wells

• Type– Water‐Spreading/Basins– ADWR Constructed Recharge Facility

• Location– Maricopa County 

• Ownership– Vidler Water Company

• Source Water– CAP

• Capacity– 75,000 ac‐ft/yr

• Type– Water‐Spreading– ADWR Managed Recharge Facility

• Location– Santa Cruz River Channel, Tucson

• Operator– Pima County – City of Tucson

• Source Water– Reclaimed Water

• Roger Road and Ina Road WWTPs

• Capacity– 45,000 ac‐ft/yr

• Type– Water‐Spreading– ADWR Managed Recharge Facility

• Location– Hassayampa River, Maricopa County

• Ownership– Summit Global

• Operator– HydroSystems, Inc.

• Source Water– CAP

• Capacity– 25,000 ac‐ft/yr

• Availability of unused CAP water decreases• More CAP water may become available as 

agriculture decreases• California and Nevada could continue to recharge 

Colorado River 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)