A $250,000 grant for the Apache Junction Sewer District was approved at a recent meeting of the Water Infrastructure Finance Authority’s water conservation grant committee.
The funds will be used to install a new recharge basin, AJSD Manager Darron Anglin wrote in an email.
“The new basin will allow us to increase our recharge capacity from 2.1 (mgd) to 3.0 million gallons per day,” he said.
The total cost of the project is $443,801, with $250,000 from the grant and $193,801 from the sewer district, according to WIFA documents.
“As part of the grant, we are required to match at least 25% of the grant for this project. The basin will be located near the southwest corner of the treatment facility property located at 5661 S. Ironwood Drive,” Anglin said.
The project will be a collaborative effort between the sewer district and Apache Junction Water District to recharge effluent water for future use as recovered water rather than pumping groundwater or using Central Arizona Project water, AJWD Director Mike Loggins wrote in a letter to AJSD Manager Anglin that was included in a WIFA committee packet.
“This new reclaimed water can replace amounts of groundwater or CAP surface water currently provided to meet (water district) customer demands. This recharged effluent water represents a renewable source that can service this community well into the future,” he said. “The program will be similar to other effluent recharge and recovery programs that will allow (the water district) to reduce their dependence on groundwater.”
WIFA committee vote
The WIFA Water Conservation Grant Committee voted 7-0 May 9 to approve three items including the AJSD grant for the recharge basin project. Board member Sam Draper was absent, according to the meeting’s minutes.
The sewer district grant application was on the agenda for the committee’s April 24 meeting with eight other recharge and reuse projects, but the committee voted to table discussion to May 9, according to a video of the meeting. Video from the May 9 meeting is not available; it states “(recording failed)” at the website, https://azwifa.gov/news/public-meetings.
The eight-member Water Conservation Grant Committee is a geographically diverse group representing various backgrounds and perspectives across the state. WIFA is an independent state authority authorized to finance the construction, rehabilitation, acquisition and improvement of water infrastructure throughout Arizona. The authority is governed by its board consisting of nine voting members appointed by the governor and legislative leadership and nine nonvoting ex-officio members representing legislative leadership and relevant agency heads, according to its website.
The authority administers several federal and state-capitalized programs, the drinking water state revolving fund, the clean water state revolving fund, the water supply development fund, the water conservation grant fund and the long-term water augmentation fund, it states.
Sewer district
Superstition Mountains Community Facilities District No. 1 — now known as the Apache Junction Sewer District — was formed by Apache Junction City Council in July 1992.
At its start-up in January 1996, the district’s collection system served 1,000 customers. Today, its collection system serves more than 7,000 customers and includes more than 115 miles of pipe and a lift station to convey wastewater to its water reclamation facility. The district’s service area has grown from 17 square miles to more than 50 square miles, according to its website.
Board members to the sewer district are appointed by the Apache Junction City Council.
Meet Richard Richard Dyer has worked at Independent Newsmedia Inc. USA since 1987, starting his career in Apache Junction as a copy editor and being promoted over the years to work as the editor of the Mesa Independent, news services editor for the East Valley office in Apache Junction, managing editor for the East Valley office, news services editor for the East Valley office and eventually also for the newspapers at INI’s then-Chandler office, managing editor again and as a news editor covering Apache Junction/Gold Canyon and Queen Creek. He helped start the Florence Independent while the news editor covering Apache Junction and Mesa news. In January 2023, he became associate managing editor for the East Valley newspapers and in August 2023 became managing editor for the East Valley newspapers of Chandler/Tempe, Gilbert, Queen Creek, Florence, Mesa and Apache Junction/Gold Canyon, while also reporting on Mesa and Apache Junction/Gold Canyon.
Community: Since 2009, he has worked as a volunteer to design The Blue Guitar Magazine, Blue Guitar Jr. magazine and Unstrung magazine, which are projects of The Arizona Consortium for the Arts; and since 2014, has been overseeing the art submissions.
Education: University of Arizona with a master of arts in journalism and a bachelor of science in agricultural communication. Also continuing education at Mesa Community College in welding in a metal art sculpture class.
Random fact: Saw his first tornado on May 31, 2010, which was classified as an EF-2, as part of a stormchasing tour group.
Hobbies: He is an artist of welded-steel sculptures, selling his artwork at juried and non-juried art shows.
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