PHOENIX — In early November, the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality, or ADEQ, unveiled what it calls a comprehensive plan on how it would safely convert wastewater into a reliable source of purified water.
Randall Matas with ADEQ says Advanced Water Purification is a great program to make available to utilities.
“Advanced Water Purification has the potential to provide a reliable source of purified water that can really alleviate a lot of the water scarcity issues in Arizona,” he says.
The “Advanced Water Purification Proposed Program” is a resource designed to help local utilities, business owners, the public, and others better understand ADEQ’s possible wastewater conversion in Arizona, using recommendations from an advisory group made up of scientists and consultants.
"The roadmap is us taking those recommendations, along with what we've observed in other states and jurisdictions, and combining them to give everybody an idea of what ADEQ thinks this program should look like moving forward,” Matas stated.
Advanced Water Purification, or AWP, involves several processes, along with adding barriers, removing pathogens, and everything else necessary before it reaches consumers.
The City of Phoenix is already working on an AWP project scheduled to launch later this decade. ADEQ expects similar projects statewide.
"There's a lot of interest out there, particularly with some of the assured supply challenges that we're having at this time and the drought and curtailments on the Colorado River,” said Matas.
ADEQ is seeking feedback on its roadmap from anyone interested through December 2. You can e-mail your comments to reuserulemaking@azdeq.gov.
The AWP proposed rule is set to be released at the end of the year.
