PHOENIX — As record heat melts snow in the Rocky Mountains and threatens Arizona’s water supply, Phoenix is investing in a different kind of solution, turning wastewater into drinking water.
City leaders say a major milestone at the Cave Creek Water Reclamation Plant marks a step toward making that future a reality. Crews this week filled a one-million-gallon treatment basin as part of system testing, a sign the project is about 50% complete.
The facility is designed to take wastewater and purify it into a reusable resource, something water leaders say could help offset expected cuts to the Colorado River.
“Because maybe there are times we don’t have enough water, like on the Colorado, we’re going to have major concerns there, significant cuts,” said Phoenix Assistant Water Services Director Nazario Prieto. “Eventually, this program is going to offset some of those cuts.”
The city hopes to begin using the water to recharge groundwater by 2027, with the potential to send it to homes by 2028.
At the same time, the same heat wave hitting Arizona is also impacting the Rocky Mountains, where much of the state’s water begins. Scripps News Denver meteorologist Stacey Donaldson says the heat is “cooking” mountain snowpack, which feeds the Colorado River.
“We’ve hit the highest temperature ever recorded in March, which is 85 degrees,” Donaldson said.
That snowpack is critical. Experts at ASU’s Kyl Center for Water Policy say about 85% of Colorado River water originates as snow in the Rockies. This year, conditions are especially concerning. Snowpack is already low, and the heat is accelerating melting, leaving little chance for late-season recovery.
“We’ve jumped right out of wintertime into summertime,” Donaldson said. “At this point, the snow is just going to immediately melt if a storm does come through.”
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Federal projections show runoff into the river could be far below normal, adding pressure to a system already in long-term drought.
It’s not just the Rockies feeling the heat. Here in Arizona, researchers found snow is disappearing at a dramatic pace. More than 90% of the snow in the Upper Black River Basin, a key watershed feeding the Salt River system, melted in less than three weeks.
The finding comes from a new study by Arizona State University and the Salt River Project, which used airborne surveys to track snowpack across the region. That system supplies water to millions of people in the Phoenix metro area, meaning even small changes can have big impacts.
The data is critical for planning, helping determine how much water can be stored in reservoirs and how much groundwater may be needed to make up the difference this summer.
All of this is happening as states that rely on the Colorado River still haven’t agreed on how to share it in the future. Experts warn that a combination of less water and no agreement yet could be bad for Arizona water users.
“This is worse than a very bad year in terms of the hydrology,” said Sarah Porter with ASU’s Kyl Center for Water Policy. “Cities, tribes, industry, those users need to expect deeper cuts.”
A new Colorado River water-sharing agreement is expected by October 1. In the meantime, cities across the Valley are balancing two realities: less water coming in, and a growing need to find new ways to stretch every drop.
Arizona lawmakers say at some point a decision needs to be made so stakeholders know what they need to do now to prepare.
“It’s uncertain, and I don’t like uncertainty,” said Mesa Mayor Mark Freeman. “We need a certain decision so we can plan for the future. That’s what we don’t have.”
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