Supply chain woes again have hit the city of Peoria, this time in conjunction with one of the city’s biggest projects — a reclaimed water pipeline system that is planned to deliver water to the northern part of the city.
For the last couple years, Peoria has been building on its water reclamation system, and is in segment three of the project, which has gone over budget $2.1 million and will push it past the expected completion date due to the increasing cost of steel and delivery time.
Development and Engineering Director Adina Lund said that for this section of the project, material procurement has gone from 26 to 40 weeks.
“The wait for pipe is very long. There are three suppliers in the United States for [iron pipe] and the wait is 40 weeks ... So we will not see work until next fall,” she said. “That is surprising and not typical but that is where we stand right now. So we will continue to work with the contractor and see what can be done. We will have our place in line and continue to check in and hope for the best.”
The project is split into four segments.
To continue with segment three of the project, the Peoria City Council approved a contract to FPS Civil in the amount of $7.5 million for construction and approved a budget amendment in the amount of $2.1 million, Oct. 12.
The initial budget of the project was $18.7 million and is primarily financed with a loan from WIFA, or Water Infrastructure Finance Authority of Arizona, at an interest rate of 1.85%.
The totality of the project is about seven miles of reclaimed water transmission piping from the Beardsley Water Reclamation Facility to Lake Pleasant Parkway and Dixileta Drive. It will serve existing city parks along the route, including Paloma Park, provide future opportunities to expand the reclaimed water system farther into north Peoria, and position the city to connect to the master planned community Vistancia, which has its own water system.
This backbone pipeline is being built in segments to minimize construction time and provide the most cost effective way to implement construction, according to documents.
Lund said using this backbone system for reclaimed water will help the city accommodate for growth.
Right now, the city uses potable water on landscape and park areas, and the new system will allow for reclaimed water instead.
The re-used water could also be used for future industrial purposes, she said.
“And in a severe water shortage in the future, cities are considering the direct reuse, where they would take reclaimed water, build a plant that would treat it, and turn it into drinking water,” Lund said. “Making that backbone system throughout the city is the most important thing that we get started on so we can expand the system to service to as many areas as possible.”
Segment one was previously awarded and is substantially complete and the segment two contract was approved at the June 21, 2022 council meeting.
Construction of segment three will install the water transmission piping along Jomax Road, from 101st Lane to Lake Pleasant Parkway, where it will tie into an existing potable water main that is to be repurposed and used as a reclaimed waterline, according to documents.
Additionally, Lund said transmission piping will be constructed from the city’s existing Pleasant Valley Reservoir and Pump Station, located just to the west of the Lake Pleasant Parkway and Lone Mountain Parkway intersection, north to an existing service stub at Lake Pleasant Parkway and Dixileta Drive.
The final segment has been advertised for a separate low bid construction contract, with bids due Oct. 20, 2022. Officials say that given the prices on the third segment, it is anticipated the fourth segment will require an approximate budget of $6.4 million.
Mayor Cathy Carlat said reclaimed water, largely for outdoor uses such as landscaping, is the highest use of water in Arizona.
For many years the city has been able to use reclaimed water in the southern portion of the city, but now the system is expanding to the northern portion of the city, she said.
She added that this allows the city to use every drop of water more than once and that puts the city in a position to be able to accommodate future growth.
“This is a very important project and I am glad we are doing it,” Carlat said. “Being able to use our water more than once is critical, especially in the drought situation we are in. We have to be able to have these kinds of things in place to make sure we are supplying water to future city residents who aren’t even here yet, in addition to the residents who already exist.”
Philip Haldiman can be reached at phaldiman@iniusa.org, or on Twitter @philiphaldiman.
Meet Philip Haldiman is an award-winning journalist who most recently took first place for investigative reporting in 2023 from Arizona Newspapers Association. He joined Independent Newsmedia, Inc., USA, in 2015, covering Sun City West his first year. Since 2016, he has covered the city of Peoria. Prior to coming to INI, he was a reporter with The Arizona Republic for seven years, covering numerous cities throughout the Valley. Before that, he was a freelance writer.
Community: Haldiman spearheads the Peoria Independent Hometown Heroes Awards program, honoring local individuals and businesses that give back to the community. He has hosted local candidate forums over the years and is a member of the Society of Professional Journalists. Haldiman also served as a member of the Journalism Program Community Advisory Board at Glendale Community College. Outside journalism, Haldiman served as a member of the city of Peoria Complete Count Committee for the Census, 2019-2020. Lastly, he has served as a member of his HOA governing board since 2021.
Education: Arizona State University with a BA in Journalism and Mass Communications and a BA in Theater.
Random Fact: Haldiman is a fourth-generation Arizonan as well as wrote and produced an autobiographical comic book about his time spent in Hollywood and his life as a cult film star.
Hobbies: He enjoys hiking Arizona’s mountainous landscapes and is currently working on a play for the stage.
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