Water Treatment Project to Reopen Two Wells

ADEQ Director Steve Owens announced that ADEQ is working with a municipal water company in northwestern Tucson to build a drinking water treatment facility & reopen 2 drinking water wells that have been closed for nearly a year. ADEQ & the Flowing Wells Irrigation District in the northwestern part of Tucson have begun construction of a treatment facility to remove harmful volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from the water in the wells. Two nearby drinking water wells will be reopened once the facility becomes operational & removes the contaminants. Flowing Wells, which serves about 15,000 customers, is located within the larger Miracle Mile Water Quality Assurance Revolving Fund (WQARF) site, which ADEQ has been investigating for groundwater contamination. The WQARF program, also known as the state Superfund program, identifies & cleans up contaminated groundwater & soil throughout the state.

"Reopening these wells is a priority for ADEQ & great news for local residents," Owens said. "ADEQ will continue to work closely with the Flowing Wells Irrigation District to ensure that community members receive clean, safe drinking water."

ADEQ collaborated with the water district on the design & construction of the system which is being constructed through the WQARF program. Owens noted that VOC levels in the wells are below regulatory limits & that ADEQ is taking this action to prevent VOCs from endangering human health & the environment. Owens said construction of the facility is an important step in cleaning up the entire Miracle Mile site. He added that in addition to removing VOCs, the treatment facility will lower arsenic levels in the water to meet the new federal drinking water standard for arsenic. The reopened wells are scheduled to begin supplying drinking water to Flowing Wells' customers by the end of August.