The Town of Queen Creek will host a public informational meeting on Monday, Nov. 10 to provide information about an upcoming decision related to investing in the Town’s water future. Investing in the strategic source of water would allow the Town to become a designated water provider earlier than projected, reduce local groundwater pumping and move away from the Central Arizona Groundwater Replenishment District (CAGRD). The informational meeting will be held at the Community Chambers, 20727 E. Civic Parkway. The presentation will begin at 6 p.m.
Queen Creek continues to take important steps to secure a reliable, long-term water supply for residents and businesses. Since purchasing its first water company in 2007, the Town has worked to manage water service levels and costs with the goal of becoming a Designated Water Provider, a certification granted by the Arizona Department of Water Resources (ADWR). This designation, already held by most Valley municipalities, ensures a 100-year assured water supply for the community.
In late summer, a significant water opportunity was made available through approval by ADWR of a water supply from the Harquahala Groundwater Basin, and also approval to transport that water. Queen Creek purchased an initial 5,000 acre-feet per year and has locked in a price to secure up to 12,000 acre-feet of additional water. This additional supply would fill the final gap Queen Creek has to prove a 100-year assured water supply, without relying on additional local groundwater, opening the door to become a Designated Water Provider. As the Valley’s water providers are all seeking additional water supplies, Queen Creek worked quickly to identify and lock-in an allocation to be able to purchase this water supply from the Harquahala Groundwater Basin.
At the Nov. 19 meeting, Town Council will consider for approval funding of this agreement for Harquahala Water and committing to establish a future Water Resource Fee.
Currently, Queen Creek delivers treated groundwater to customers. Under Arizona’s 1980 Groundwater Management Act, all groundwater pumped must be replenished. To meet this requirement, most Queen Creek customers are members of the CAGRD, which is included in their property tax bill (properties developed prior to 1996 are exempt). Queen Creek water customers who are CAGRD members may not be aware of the full cost of these fees, as the Town of Queen Creek has been utilizing water credits to offset these costs for its customers. This was a result of Council resolutions to reduce costs to customers as an interim measure, with the ultimate goal of becoming a Designated Water Provider to be able to locally manage those costs.
Depending on the year the community was developed, these costs were reduced anywhere from 33% to 100% - saving Queen Creek water customers approximately $58 million since 2018. This was an interim measure and cannot continue indefinitely, so whether or not Queen Creek becomes a Designated Water Provider, these fees cannot continue to be offset.
Once a Designated Water Provider, Queen Creek can become a CAGRD Member Service Area, removing the fee from individual properties on their property tax bill. Any CAGRD replenishment fee will then be paid by Queen Creek as the Town works to further reduce groundwater dependence by securing additional supplies or implementing local replenishment strategies, to reduce or remove the CAGRD obligation.
The change in individual water bills is not yet defined; however, current CAGRD members will see the costs similar to those on their property tax bill move to the water bill, along with the amount that Queen Creek has been offsetting over the past seven years. To some residents, this may feel like an increase as the property tax is normally paid through the escrow account and not paid monthly like the water bill.
The structure of the proposed Water Resource fee is not yet defined but will go through a formal public process for review and comment before being considered by the Town Council. The fee would apply to all customers as designation benefits the system as a whole and the earliest it would be implemented is 2027. As Queen Creek moves away from reliance on CAGRD, costs will be more stable and sustainable.
For more information, visit
QueenCreekAZ.gov/WaterFuture.
Media Contact
Constance Halonen-Wilson
QCPIO@QueenCreekAZ.gov