Councilmembers Nikki Amburg and Berdetta Hodge stand with Vice Mayor Doreen Garlid, Rep. Greg Stanton and Mayor Corey Woods as they present a check for $2.85 million to the City of Tempe for the Kyrene Water Reclamation Facility.
(Independent Newsmedia/Madeline Bates)
Kyrene Water Reclamation Facility at 307 W. Guadalupe in Tempe.
Rep. Greg Stanton has helped to acquired $2.85 million from the U.S. Treasury to assist with the Kyrene Water Reclamation site at 307 W. Guadalupe Road in Tempe.
The project will open in 2028 to assist with the growing need for water in Arizona as climate change and negotiations of the Colorado River continue.
“When Arizona faces a challenge, we don’t wait around for someone else to solve it,” said Stanton, a Democrat who represents the 4th Congressional District that includes Tempe, as he announced the project.
Mayor Corey Woods and members of the Tempe City Council were on hand to show their thanks for Stanton’s work as well as his ability to advocate for the city at the federal level.
“He clearly understands the needs of cities and towns across the entire state. And I don’t think you have a better partner than Congressman Greg Stanton,” Woods said as he introduced the project.
The site will help recycle water to be used for cooling, energy and drinking as Arizona and other states within the Colorado River basin negotiate water rights and usage of the river that has been mired in a more than two decade drought.
The lower basin states in the Southwest — Arizona, California and Nevada — are struggling to negotiate with the upper basin states — Colorado, Wyoming, Utah and New Mexico. Decisions about the post 2026 events of the Colorado River have not been announced.
Craig Caggiano, deputy public works director for water in Tempe, said the city receives about 6% of water from the Colorado River with the Salt River Project and other sources making up the rest of the supply.
The Kyrene Reclamation Plant has been inactive since 2010 and is expected to reopen completely in 2028.
The water will become drinking water and then be stored in the aquifer below the city.
“Every gallon treated at Kyrene will be a gallon that reduces dependence on the Colorado River,” Stanton said.
To voice your opinion on this story, connect with us at AzOpinions@iniusa.org.
Madeline Bates joined Independent Newsmedia in 2025 as a Phoenix/Tempe reporter. Before graduating college, she spent a semester in Washington as a Congressional reporter in the first 100 days of the second Trump administration. But local news is where her heart is. She is excited to be in Phoenix full time and exploring new parts of the city (as long as they have AC).
Community: After living in East Phoenix for two years, she fell in love with Paradise Valley, Mesa, Tempe, and everywhere in between. She recently discovered the beauty of the South Mountain Reserve and hopes to continue exploring should the weather comply.
Education: Madeline has a degree in Journalism and Mass Communications from Arizona State University’s Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and a certificate in Political History and Leadership.
Random Fact: She is a self-taught nail tech. No, she cannot do your nails.
Hobbies: Hiking (when its not 100 degrees), fiction writing, cooking, baking and trying new coffee shops.
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