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Scottsdale Approves Long-Term Water Resources Plan

By August 25, 2022November 14th, 2022No Comments

By MacKenzie Brower | Daily Independent

Scottsdale City Council approved at its meeting Tuesday, Aug. 23 the updated Integrated Water Resources Master Plan, which was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

In 2019, according to a city staff report, city council approved an engineering contract with Carollo Engineering Inc. to perform the services associated with the preparation of the IWRMP update. The IWRMP was initially scheduled to be completed in 18–24 months.

The evaluation looked at current conditions, and as a result, the current drought developments as seen developing this summer are not a part of the document.

The IWRMP was necessary to update the previous master plan adopted by the council in 2015. Periodic updating of the master plan ensures responsible planning for the city’s water management and systems.

In summary, the master plan presents information on population growth, water supply and demand, wastewater flow and reclaimed water production. It also includes an evaluation of Scottsdale’s water distribution system infrastructure, wastewater collection system infrastructure, water quality and project planning recommendations.

Fourteen recommendations were provided to guide the city with respect to water resources planning.

The staff report listed planning challenges that the city will most likely face in the future:

  • Increased growth potential in the Greater Airpark, Old Town, Scottsdale and McDowell roads corridor
  • Future water quality regulations from the United States Environmental Protection Agency including the recent Lead and Copper Rule Revisions
  • Pending Colorado River shortages, the single largest source of supply for Scottsdale
  • Impacts of the pandemic which changed how and where many people live and work

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