SCOTTSDALE, AZ — The search continues for sustainable water options in the desert of Arizona.
"Sustainability of water is something we really take seriously and we've been doing that for the last 25-plus years,” said Brian Biesemeyer, the executive director of Scottsdale Water.
The Scottsdale Water campus is the only one of its kind in Arizona.
“Where we actually recycle water to a level and a quality of drinking water," said Biesemeyer.
Back in the 1980s after the Groundwater Act was passed, the City of Scottsdale knew they couldn't exist off groundwater alone and needed to bring in other sources, moving them to look at potable water.
“It allows us to use a water resource that many communities just want to throw away which is their recycled water or their treated wastewater. We live in a desert, we know and recognized decades ago that recycled water was a water resource we needed to use," said Biesemeyer.
The facility was constructed in 1998 and produces water for use by using a four-step filtration system.
"We take the water and treat it through ultra-filtration membranes, ozone, reverse osmosis, and UV photolysis," said Biesemeyer.
The water is used for golf courses, the Scottsdale Stadium complex, and the Bell Road soccer fields. But, that's not all.
"We also process this water to be injected in our groundwater, so we recharge our groundwater with water processed through here. We don't mind groundwater in Scottsdale. We put more water in the ground than we take out and we've done that since 2006," said Biesemeyer.
And one day, possibly soon, state rules will likely allow this water to be used for drinking.
"I think it is part of the solution for sustainability as far as water is concerned in the desert," said Biesemeyer.
