Through watersmart (sustain and manage americas resources for tomorrow), reclamation leverages federal and non-federal funding to work cooperatively with states, tribes, and local entities as they…

The Department of the Interior's Bureau of Reclamation awarded a $9,594,200 Project Grant under the Reclamation States Emergency Drought Relief program (CFDA 15.514) to Arizona Water Co. to address water supply and quality issues in Stanfield, Arizona. The funding will support infrastructure upgrades, including the installation of state-of-the-art water treatment systems, to increase water supply reliability, provide safe drinking water, and improve drought resilience for the community's water system. The project will treat up to 500 gallons per minute of groundwater contaminated with high levels of nitrates and arsenic, which have posed public health threats. The award has a project period from December 2024 to November 2026 and involves collaboration with local stakeholders such as Pinal County and the University of Arizona.

Through watersmart (sustain and manage americas resources for tomorrow), reclamation leverages federal and non-federal funding to work cooperatively with states, tribes, and local entities as they plan for and implement actions to increase water supply reliability through investments and attention to local water conflicts. Reclamations watersmart drought response program supports a proactive approach to drought by providing financial assistance to water managers to develop and update comprehensive drought plans (drought contingency planning) and implement projects that will build long-term resiliency to drought (drought resiliency projects). Through the drought response program, reclamation invites states, tribes, irrigation districts, water districts, organizations with water or power delivery authority, and non-profit conservation groups to leverage their money and resources by cost sharing with reclamation on drought resiliency projects that will increase the reliability of water supplies and improve water management.selected under notice of funding opportunity no. R24AS00007ARIZONA water company (AWC) operates the community water system (CWS) that serves disadvantaged communities in and around the city of stanfield in pinal county, AZ. This water system is stanfields only source of drinking water and currently provides 140 acre-feet per year from two wells within the maricopa-stanfield subbasin of the pinal active management area. Stanfield cwss supply is impaired by high levels of nitrate and arsenic contaminants above the maximum contaminant limit, which represent dire threats to public health. AWC will use state-of-the-art treatment systems to treat up to 500 gallons minute of groundwater contaminated to levels below the maximum contaminant level. Infrastructure upgrades at the project site for the new treatment system will increase water supply, provide safe drinking water, improve drought resiliency, and achieve strategic goals for providing a reliable source of water for communities in the region. Pinal county, pinal active management area groundwater users advisory council, pinal partnership, the pinal county water augmentation authority, the maricopa-stanfield irrigation drainage district, and the university of arizona water resources research center have all expressed support for this project.