Ducey Announces Funding for Tucson Waterworks Restart | Arizona

(The Center Square) – Governor Doug Ducey and the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality (ADEQ) announced that $ 2 million in government funds will be used to restart a water treatment plant in Tucson, which will close in June due to increasing groundwater pollution had to.

The funding will help restore the Tucson Airport Remediation Plant (TARP) and continue treating contaminated groundwater.

Tucson Water has operated TARP near Tucson International Airport since 1994 to remove industrial chemicals from water and return the purified water to the drinking water system. On June 21, TARP ceased operations and looked for alternative uses for the treated water due to the increasing concentrations of newer pollutants called PFAS in groundwater. Alternatives include delivering the water to the Santa Cruz River or Tucson Water’s treated water system for landscape irrigation. TARP is working on the construction of a government-funded temporary pipeline and permanent drainage structure to transport TARP treated water to the dry bed of the Santa Cruz River.

Tucson Water officials said no untreated water would be discharged into the Santa Cruz River.

“When TARP reopens, we will still be treating this water to a very high level before it is discharged into the river,” said John Kmiec, Tucson’s interim water director, in a statement released Monday.

Kmiec said the project is a temporary measure to keep TARP running and monitor contaminants until a long-term solution is found.

ADEQ is working on an intergovernmental agreement with Tucson Water to approve the funding sometime this week.

The announcement is the second in recent months in terms of government funding dedicated to tackling PFAS in Tucson’s groundwater supply. In December 2020, ADEQ raised $ 3.3 million from the state’s limited Water Quality Assurance Revolving Fund to help prevent PFAS from affecting Tucson’s major sources of drinking water.

Ducey said in a statement that providing Arizonans with clean water was a state priority.

“This funding will help Tucson Water get a critical water treatment plant back on track and keep Tucson water supplies safe for future generations,” he said. “Every water source in Arizona is vital as we face droughts and the risk of a drier future.”

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