Amending the existing Effluent Discharge Agreement with the Buckeye Water Conservation Drainage District (BWCDD) to increase the allowable amount of discharge of effluent into the BWCDD canal from 6 MGD to 7.5 MGD.

Authorize the City Manager to execute the amendment to the existing Effluent Discharge Agreement with the Buckeye Water Conservation and Drainage District. (Barbara Chappell, Water Services Director)

There is no direct budget impact associated with the adoption of this Amendment. 

Effluent from the Goodyear Water Reclamation Facility is typically pumped north from the plant to the Soil Aquifer Treatment (SAT) facility site at the northwest corner of Van Buren and Estrella Parkway where it is recharged for Long-Term Storage Credits.  Due to operational issues, there are times when a portion of the effluent cannot be pumped to the SAT recharge facility.  In the past, the excess effluent had been typically discharged to the Gila River which due to the Total Maximum Daily Load allowances poses potential water quality issues. To avoid such issues in the Gila River, the City entered into the Effluent Discharge Agreement with the Buckeye Water Conservation Drainage District (BWCDD) in 2019 to direct overflow discharges into the BWCDD canal.  Under the terms of the 2019 Agreement, the city agreed to fund the costs of making improvements to the BWCDD canal so that it could accept an increase in the volume of class A+ effluent discharges from the city.  Upon completion of the improvements, the city was entitled to deliver up to 6 MGD of class A+ effluent into the BWCDD canal.  The improvements to the canal have been completed and have the capacity to accept additional discharges of class A+ effluent from the city.
 

It is the city’s policy to recharge all effluent in the SAT site to earn Long-Term Storage Credits in support of the city’s Designation of Assured Water Supply.  The city’s preference is not to discharge any water; however, due to the volume of water versus the pipe size, there are challenges in delivering all of the water to the SAT site.  As growth continues in the City’s water service area, sewer inflows increase; therefore, producing more effluent that needs to be discharged. In order to avoid water quality issues and possibly violations by discharging to the Gila River, the city would like to amend the existing agreement to increase the maximum volume of class A+ effluent discharged to the BWCDD canal from 6 MGD to 7.5 MGD.