A private water company that services a small portion of Peoria is getting an emergency connection to its system to prevent against possible water shortages this summer.
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A private water company that services a small portion of Peoria is getting an emergency connection to its system to prevent against possible water shortages this summer.
The Sunrise Water Company recently entered into a agreement with the City of Peoria allowing for a second emergency connection to the Peoria water system to allow for additional flexibility in case of an emergency and to prevent water shortages for residents, according to city documents.
The water company services a small part of Peoria, generally between 75th Avenue on the east, Lake Pleasant Parkway on the west, Happy Valley Road on the north, and Williams Road on the South.
Experts say emergency connections are national standards, with connections between water systems commonplace.
Sunrise Water Company Manager Marvin E. Collins stated in an email emergency water connections are used normally during peak demands when an equipment failure occurs and until the failure can be corrected.
“Sunrise Water Company operates several wells in our water service area and if a well pump failure occurs at one of the sites, we immediately contact a well pump contractor to remove and replace,” he said in an email. “Depending on the locations, this may take several days and if needed, as a backup we have the emergency interconnection to use until the well pump can be replaced and put back into service.”
The agreement with the city came about because of a failed well project and a second well with mechanical issues, according to documents.
Mr. Collins did not respond to questions regarding these issues.
Sunrise Water Company has not had any well issues and there are no concerns about being able to meet the summer demand, said Nicole Capone, a spokeswoman for the Arizona Corporation Commission, which regulates water companies.
The company is in compliance with federal safe drinking water standards, according to Arizona Department of Environmental Quality, which regulates water quality.
Sunrise Water Company has about 2,000 connections, many of which are Peoria residents and businesses.
This is the second agreement for an interconnection between the Peoria and Sunrise water systems.
Since at least 2011, the City of Peoria and Sunrise Water Company have had an agreement to allow for a single temporary interconnection between the Peoria and Sunrise water system to provide water to the area if they experience a system failure and for needed additional water to serve their customers. Since then, Sunrise has used this connection several times, primarily during summer months when water demand is at its peak, according to city documents.
The new agreement stipulates that Sunrise is required to give Peoria Long Term Storage Credits annually in an amount equal to the amount of water they receive from Peoria, and the cost to install the second connection point will be paid for by Sunrise. Sunrise is charged for the water as if they were a commercial customer.
No city contribution will be made for the construction and any water used by Sunrise that is processed in Peoria will be sold at the prevailing rate. Because Sunrise will convey LTSCs to Peoria, impacts to the city’s 100-year assured water supply are negligible, according to documents.
Currently there are three private water companies operating in Peoria: Sunrise Water Company, Rose Valley Water Company, and EPCOR.
Peoria Water Services Director Cape Powers said in an email these systems serve Peoria citizens as well as customers who live in Maricopa County.
Peoria certainly has enough water capacity to help with their relatively small service area and the city is confident of its ability to supplement water supplies as needed to prevent an actual shortage, he said.
“Their water comes from groundwater wells,” he said. “Our understanding is that the water they pump out of the ground is typically mitigated for by the Central Arizona Groundwater Conservation District, although often this mitigation occurs miles away from Peoria.”
Philip Haldiman can be reached at 623-876-3697, phaldiman@newszap.com, or on Twitter @philiphaldiman.
Philip Haldiman is a third generation Arizona native with brief residencies on the east and west coasts.
He has bachelor’s degrees in Theater and Journalism at Arizona State University, and is an award winning journalist with more than 15 years worth of experience in reporting and editing.
Most recently, he took first place for investigative reporting and third place for best sustained coverage or series at the 2023 Arizona Newspapers Association awards.
In his free time, he produces an autobiographical comic book about his time spent in Hollywood and his life as a cult film star.
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