With the anticipation of a hotter and drier future with less water, Tempe is planning to reopen the Kyrene Water Reclamation Facility to improve Tempe’s drought resilience.

Reopening the Kyrene facility directly helps Tempe manage its water supply. The facility allows the city to locally treat and use reclaimed water to bolster its water portfolio and increase groundwater storage.

Last week, U.S. Representative Greg Stanton joined Mayor Corey Woods, Councilmembers Arlene Chin and Berdetta Hodge, and Assistant Secretary of the Army for Civil Works Michael Connor to announce the Water Resources Development Act (WRDA) designation for the Kyrene Reclamation Facility.

“Congressman Stanton’s role on the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure was instrumental in designating this project a WRDA project,” said Chin. “It’s because of him we have opportunities for additional funding to help us reopen this facility in 2025.”

This designation will open the door for future funding to rehabilitate, improve and restart the Kyrene plant.

This facility is designed to treat an annual average flow of about 4 million gallons per day. Water treated at Kyrene will be used at SRP’s Kyrene Generating Station as cooling water for industrial equipment, stored as groundwater for future use and can be used for irrigation water at the Ken McDonald Golf Course.

“This project puts Tempe in an excellent position to leverage a local water resource and contribute to conservation and resilience efforts amid climate change,” said Woods.

For more information about Tempe water, visit tempe.gov/water or call 480-350-4311.