Arizona's Rep. Ciscomani co-sponsors legislation to extend water recycling program

Arizona Congressman Juan Ciscomani is co-sponsoring, with Nevada Congresswoman Susie Lee, a bipartisan effort to extend water recycling funding that could shore up the state’s water supply.

Ciscomani is pushing for the extension of the Large Scale Water Recycling Program, which was first established in 2021 and is set to expire next year.

“Water is the lifeblood of Arizona,” Ciscomani said in a statement. “As we face worsening drought in Arizona, I am proud to co-lead this critical legislation which will help Western communities, like Southern Arizona, bolster their conservation efforts through water recycling efforts.”

The fund still has $125 million left of the original $450 million the federal government allocated. States can apply for that funding and use it for water reuse projects, but it must also be matched by local funding.

More than a third of the available federal grant money was already allocated to a purification facility in Phoenix. The facility will be constructed in north Phoenix and treat wastewater, ultimately turning it into drinking water.

The bill needs to be extended by the end of this year to avoid a lapse. If approved, it would continue the program for another 10 years — not just five more.

“In the congressman's view, any conservation anywhere in the Colorado River basin benefits the whole basin because when one state is being more efficient, that obviously is beneficial for the whole basin,” saod Ciscomani’s deputy chief of staff, Gabbi Scheitelman.

According to a recent study by UCLA’s Institute of the Environment and Sustainability, of the seven Lower Basin states, Nevada and Arizona reuse the largest percentage of treated wastewater. Nevada reuses as much as 85%, and Arizona reuses about 52%.

Ciscomani made a point of highlighting that in a press release about the reauthorization bill.

Scheitelman noted that Ciscomani co-chairs the Colorado River Caucus. She said reauthorizing the recycling program is not directly related to ongoing Colorado River negotiations, but the bill will ideally highlight Arizona’s conservation efforts and bolster the state’s leadership status.

“The congressman does want to be able to highlight and support the ongoing efforts that Arizona is already doing,” Scheitelman said.