Where Does My Water Come From - Desert Hills

Approximately 75 percent of the total water supply comes from renewable Colorado River surface water and 25 percent from groundwater sources. The groundwater comes from 3 wells located in the Desert Hills service area.

The raw Colorado River water is transported through the Central Arizona Project (CAP) Canal which is Arizona’s single largest resource for renewable water supplies. The Town has a 16-inch raw water pipeline that extends over 12 miles from the CAP Canal north to the Town’s water treatment plant through a series of four in-line booster stations.

Central Arizona Project canal

In 2002, the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality (ADEQ) completed a source water assessment on the three groundwater wells used by the Desert Hills Water System. The assessment looked at potential risks to our groundwater sources. The assessment concluded that based on the information currently available on the hydrogeological settings of the adjacent land uses, that the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality has given us a low-risk designation for the degree to which these public water systems drinking water sources are protected. A designation of low risk indicates that most source water protection measures are either already implemented, or the hydrogeology is such that the source water protection measures will have little impact on protection. Additionally, residents can help protect the groundwater supplies by properly recycling household and automotive chemicals and limiting pesticides and fertilizer use. For more information, please call our Customer Service Center at (480) 488-6620 or visit the Source Water Assessment and Protection Unit website at www.azdeq.gov/source-water-protection.

(Picture: A well located at Joy Ranch)

Joy Ranch Well