Phoenix advances potable reuse with $80M engineering award for North Gateway AWP facility

Phoenix advances potable reuse with $80M engineering award for North Gateway AWP facilityThe city is accelerating its drought-resilience strategy, tapping Carollo Engineers for the design of a new advanced water purification plant while simultaneously pursuing federal WaterSMART funding for a pilot facility at its 91st Avenue plant.

Carollo Engineers secured an $80 million engineering services agreement to design the North Gateway Advanced Water Purification Facility.

The North Gateway project will feature a multiple-barrier purification process to produce potable water, alongside a reclamation plant for Class A+ non-potable reuse.

Phoenix is also applying for a $6 million Bureau of Reclamation WaterSMART grant to support a $30 million pilot AWP facility at the 91st Avenue Wastewater Treatment Plant.

The city approved a $3.5 million contract amendment with PCL Construction for the Deer Valley Water Treatment Plant pump station to further mitigate Colorado River supply risks.

The City of Phoenix is making significant investments in potable reuse and drought-resilience infrastructure, anchored by an $80 million engineering services agreement awarded to Carollo Engineers for the new North Gateway Advanced Water Purification Facility. The North Gateway project is designed to support regional growth and optimize water resource management amid ongoing drought conditions. The facility will consist of a water reclamation plant producing Class A+ non-potable reclaimed water, coupled with a multiple-barrier advanced water purification facility to produce potable water. Under the five-year agreement, Carollo Engineers will provide conceptual designs, process feasibility confirmation, comprehensive construction documents, and coordination with a construction manager at risk (CMAR). In tandem with the North Gateway project, the city is advancing a second major potable reuse initiative at the 91st Avenue Wastewater Treatment Plant. The city authorized an application for a U.S. Bureau of Reclamation WaterSMART: Large-Scale Water Recycling Projects grant to fund a pilot Advanced Water Purification (AWP) facility. The pilot project carries an estimated total cost of $30 million. Phoenix is seeking $6 million in federal Bipartisan Infrastructure Law funding, which will be supported by a $24 million local match. The pilot will lay the necessary groundwork for a full-scale facility intended to supply advanced purified water to Phoenix and its project partners, including the cities of Glendale and Mesa, and EPCOR Water Arizona, Inc. Phoenix is also shoring up its existing distribution network to prepare for potential restrictions on Colorado River water delivered through the Central Arizona Project (CAP). To that end, the city approved a $3.5 million amendment to PCL Construction's CMAR contract for the Deer Valley Water Treatment Plant finished water pump station. The ongoing project, which is currently 50 percent complete, will increase the plant's pumping capacity to reliably supplement water to northern portions of the city's service area that typically rely on CAP supplies.