Queen Creek’s drought-proof water future

OPINION — Water is almost a daily topic of conversation — especially in Arizona as we hear more and more about the grim outlook of the Colorado River and continuing drought conditions. Currently in a tier-one shortage, more cuts are anticipated to the Colorado River.

It’s important to understand how cuts to the river impact Queen Creek. About 10% of Queen Creek’s water supply comes from the Colorado River, so we’re in a really good position with a very minimal reliance on the Colorado River.

We’re also working to reduce reliance on local groundwater, moving away from Central Arizona Groundwater Replenishment District, or CAGRD. CAGRD primarily relies on Central Arizona Project water, which comes from the Colorado River. While we have ample groundwater here in QC, replenishing it through CAGRD is expensive, and those costs are anticipated to continue to increase.

Harquahala Water

So where does our water come from? Approximately 68% of the town’s water supply will come from Harquahala Valley, an area west of Phoenix that was designated as a transportation basin in 1991 by the state.

Not only was the area set aside as a future supply of water for municipalities in the Phoenix Metro, it is located adjacent to the CAP canal, which continues east and runs along Queen Creek’s northeastern boundary. This allows us to take advantage of already established infrastructure that helps us easily move the town’s Harquahala water to our service area and ultimately our customers.

In 2025, the Arizona Department of Water Resources approved the first transportation order from Harquahala Valley, a process that the town had started back in 2018. The approval, for up to 5,000 acre-feet per year for 110 years, provides certainty of the water’s long-term availability and our legal right to transport it. As part of that process, a study was conducted confirming 8 million acre-feet of available water and that the transportation of water will not negatively impact the area.

With that proof of concept in place, the town secured an additional 12,000 acre-feet of water per year for 110 years from Harquahala. We will transport the water from Harquahala Valley through the CAP canal to Queen Creek. The 17,000 acre-feet of Harquahala water makes up 68% of the town’s water supply, water that is stored underground for transportation — not subject to drought conditions or further cuts to the river.

Effluent

Another source of drought-proof water for the town is our effluent. The town’s wastewater is treated to near drinking water standards at the Greenfield Water Reclamation Plant (a joint operation with the town of Gilbert and city of Mesa) and then sent to either a recharge facility or an irrigation district where it percolates into the ground and generates water credits.

The town pumps these water credits with wells to be used in our effluent lakes program. In either case, the wastewater and treatment will continue, regardless of drought conditions. Effluent makes up 16% of the Town’s water portfolio.

Groundwater

The remaining 6% of the town’s water portfolio will continue to be groundwater. This small percentage will allow for fluctuations in the overall water use, with the town becoming a CAGRD-member service area instead of individual memberships when we become a designated water provider.

What does it matter?

As the mayor, as a resident, a neighbor and a mom, ensuring we have a stable and reliable source of water is one of my top priorities. As the cost of replenishing water continues to go up, the town cannot continue to pay for our CAGRD on behalf of our customers. As uncertainty continues to grow with respect to the Colorado River, we took the opportunity to secure this unique source of water.

Harquahala water gives our community certainty. This strategic investment in water gives us water self-sufficiency.

Julia Wheatley is the mayor of Queen Creek. Please send your comments about this article to AzOpinions@iniusa.org. We are committed to publishing a wide variety of reader opinions, as long as they meet our Civility Guidelines.