The City of Mesa held a dedication event today for the new Signal Butte Water Treatment Plant at 10950 E. Elliot Road. The $126 million dollar water treatment plant came online in May of this year. The plant uses the latest in water treatment technology to deliver up to 24 million gallons of water per day to the rapidly growing southeast area of the city. The plant was financed through the voter approved 2014 utility bond package.
"Everything begins with water, and Mesa would not be able to continue to grow and prosper without the new Signal Butte Water Treatment Plant and other investments in infrastructure," Mayor John Giles said. "This plant is one of the largest projects the City of Mesa has ever built and it is all thanks to our voters who, in 2014, passed a utility bond to provide water to one of the fastest growing areas of Arizona."
The plant employs multiple processes for maximum operational flexibility and treatment of varying raw water qualities. A "bleach" solution is generated on site for chlorine disinfection that reduces hazardous chemicals stored at the plant. Water is recovered from the residuals captured in the process and recycled into drinking water. Also, ballasted flocculation and ozone disinfection enhance public health by improving the barriers to pathogens, while decreasing the level of suspected contaminants in drinking water.
The raw water that flows into the plant comes from the Central Arizona Project canal - a sustainable source of supply from Colorado River surface water and snow melt. This renewable water source ensures that the City can continue to attract new businesses and residents, while reducing groundwater dependence.
"As District 6 has continued to grow, so has the need for infrastructure. Previous councils realized the opportunities that abound with an investment in infrastructure, and those opportunities have come to fruition, causing a need to enhance the system that provides water throughout southeast Mesa," Councilmember Kevin Thompson said. "This new 'State-of-the-Art' facility moves the treatment plant closer to the end users where it's needed and creates a redundant system to back-up northeast Mesa in the event the Brown Road treatment plant is taken offline."
The Signal Butte Water Treatment Plant was recently recognized nationally by Water and Wastes Digest as a Top Project of the Year for innovation in design and construction.
"We have a dedicated group of professionals working together each day to deliver quality, reliability and value in water services," Water Resources Director, Jake West said. "It is an honor to be recognized by our industry peers for this project."
The City of Mesa Water Resources Department provides water and wastewater service to more than a half-million people every day. Mesa's water quality report can be found online at www.mesaaz.gov/ccr or for more information, visit www.mesaaz.gov/water.
Water Resources Department
Contact: Kathy Macdonald
Tel. (480) 644-4364
kathy.macdonald@mesaaz.gov