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Groundwater continues to be an important source of water in the Phoenix area. The Sub-Regional Operating Group (SROG) is committed to protecting the groundwater quality and to ensuring that groundwater is available for the future.

One way to help ensure there is a sustainable groundwater supply is to replenish groundwater by proactively returning water to the ground and putting it into storage. This ongoing process of replenishing groundwater (also known as recharging) increases the amount of water stored and allows communities to continue to pump water at convenient locations and helps to preserve the groundwater supply.

The Agua Fria Linear Recharge Project is a proposed groundwater replenishment project. The purpose of the current phase of the project is to investigate the possibility of using high quality reclaimed water from the 91st Avenue Wastewater Treatment Plant (WWTP) to replenish the aquifer. Incidental opportunities for providing passive recreation and/or enhancing native habitat along the Agua Fria River are also being investigated..

Most of the reclaimed water from the 91st Avenue WWTP is currently reused for ecosystem habitat restoration, agricultural irrigation and industrial purposes. However, an estimated 13 to 20 billion gallons of this water currently is not used for these purposed and is discharged annually to the Salt River. This is equivalent to the amount of water in Saguaro Lake which could be used to replenish the groundwater aquifer.

SROG, consisting of the Cities of Glendale, Mesa, Phoenix, Scottsdale and Tempe, owns the 91st Avenue WWTP and has teamed with the Bureau of Reclamation to conduct these environmental and feasibility studies to identify opportunities to reuse the reclaimed water along the Agua Fria River.

The current Agua Fria Linear Recharge Project conceptual plan is based on in-stream recharge. This type of recharge project usually involves discharging water into a dry riverbed or wash and allowing the water to seep into the bed of the river. This conceptual plan uses the in-stream recharge method with an option of discharging water into the Agua Fria channel at several locations. This multiple discharge is called linear recharge. The proposed study area for linear recharge extends from Indian School Road to Bell Road along the Agua Fria River.