Gilbert should prepare for the Colorado River will reach a Tier 3 water shortage this summer, officials said Dec. 1 at the town’s retreat.
That level of shortage will move Gilbert further along in its Water Supply Reduction Management Plan, but the town’s designed resiliency in its water portfolio should help it continue to deliver water, Water Resources Manager Lauren Hixson told staff and Gilbert Town Council.
Hixson and Water Manager Rebecca Hamel made the presentation at the retreat, an annual informal gathering of staff and council to look at issues coming up in the next year.
The Colorado River has been suffering under the historic drought, threatening the supplies of water from the seven states and Mexico in its basin. The seven came together to reach a historic Drought Contingency Plan agreement in 2019, but the accelerating losses of water elevation at the Lake Powell and Lake Mead reservoirs on the river have the U.S. Department of Interior demanding more cuts in what the states take out of the river.
Gilbert got 38% of its water supply from the Colorado River in 2021 through various Central Arizona Project contracts, but the long-range plan is for it to receive 29%, about the same as it gets from Salt River Project. The town also gets potable water from ground wells, and reclaimed water and other surface water make up the remainder of the town’s water portfolio,
The river’s elevation is 3,528 feet at Powell, just 3 feet above what would trigger a Tier 3 shortage and 38 feet above a level at which power would no longer be able to be generated at Glen Canyon Dam on Powell, Hixson said. Any declaration of such a shortage would come in August and trigger cuts for 2024.
The town is in Stage 1 of its Water Supply Reduction Management Plan, triggering education efforts to get residents to voluntarily conserve water. For example, the town is offering rebates on smart irrigation controllers that can save 40,000 gallons per year.
A Tier 3 shortage would bring the town to declare it has reached Stage 2 in its plan, “demand reduction facilitation.” That stage also relies on voluntary efforts, and Hamel said it is a best-case scenario for the year.
Under a worst-case scenario, the town would move to a Stage 3, “demand reduction requirements,” or even Stage 4, “demand curtailment,” that would require mandatory cuts to residents and businesses that are defined in the plan.
The water level could rise from winter runoff of rain and snowpack, but Hixson said officials should expect runoff more toward the minimum projection than the maximum, the latter of which she called too rosy. She said the runoff has been closer to the minimum projections in recent years.
The presentation also outlined worst case scenarios if the reservoirs reached “dead pool” and Central Arizona Project could not supply any water.
The town’s demand on the hottest day of the year is about 75% of what can be produced in day. But if CAP water is shut off, it would nearly max out the town’s ability to meet that level of demand at about 97.5%.
Furthermore, the town is growing, so demand will increase. Thus tapping other supplies, like from additional wells, but an ability to treat more water, as planned at the North Water Treatment Plant, are critical for the town to manage such a crisis.
As a result, the town will request from council accelerating some projects for more wells in the coming years, water officials said.
The staff also will ask from council to meet additional CIP staffing needs and additional conservation tools.
Council Member Scott Anderson, who is the town’s representative to the Arizona Municipal Water Users Association, underscored the need on the river and called Interior’s Bureau of Reclamation “cowards” for not requiring state users to cooperate on making more cuts.
He said the states are not cooperating on making the additional cuts needed, particularly the northern basin states.
Hixson said California, which has senior rights on the river, continues to use its full allotment.
Hixson praised the conservation efforts of town residents and noted the effectiveness of the smart irrigation controllers.
She also expressed hope the town can encourage more residents to conserve, noting that highest water users pay the highest rates.
But Town Manager Patrick Banger said with the town’s affluence, sometimes residents are willing to pay the higher rates and not cut usage, which he said is not the best response to the need.
Hixson also noted the town’s efforts. She said the town did not overseed its parks this year and added that Morrison Ranch’s Homeowners Association also made it optional for residents, where many HOAs require overseeding.
In other items at the retreat, which will continue Friday, Banger led a discussion about possibly forming a Public Works Advisory Committee and Development Services Director Kyle Mieras presented about land use, including a new mixed-use zoning category that will be presented to council.
Council takes no action at retreats but can give staff direction if asked.
Tom Blodgett Senior News Editor | Gilbert @sp_blodgett
Meet Tom Tom Blodgett joined Independent Newsmedia, Inc., USA, in 2022, when the company acquired Community Impact Newspaper's Phoenix-area properties. Raised in Arizona, he has spent more than 35 years in journalism in the state.
Community: He has served as an instructional professional in the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication since 2005, and is editorial adviser to The State Press, the university's independent student media outlet. He also is director of operations for an 18U girls fastpitch softball team from Gilbert.
Education: Arizona State University with a BS in Journalism.
Random Fact: He lived in Belgium during his freshman year of high school.
Hobbies: Tweeting enthusiastically about ASU softball (season-ticket holder) and grumpily about other local sports (pessimistic fan).
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