Queen Creek's town-run irrigation service, which waters large residential lots in about 19 subdivisions, could be handed to the Queen Creek Irrigation District under a draft agreement the Town Council takes up Wednesday.
The council meets at 6:30 p.m. Oct. 7 in the Community Chambers, 20727 E. Civic Parkway. The item, Resolution 1685-26, would approve a draft intergovernmental agreement with the district and let the town manager and town attorney negotiate and sign the final version, which staff expect within 90 days.
What the town runs now
According to the draft agreement, the town delivers about 1,400 acre-feet of irrigation water a year to roughly 1,200 lots, using a mix of dedicated irrigation wells, potable water wells and surface water. A staff presentation counts more than 500 customers and calls it a legacy program, not a core town service.
The district already delivers irrigation water to farms and other large-lot customers. It has found that 17 of the town's 19 irrigation subdivisions are already inside its service area and that no physical improvements would be needed for it to serve them, the agreement says.
The district intends to take over all of the town's irrigation infrastructure, including two dedicated wells, and to sign a long-term agreement with the town to use one potable well.
Why now
The resolution says moving the service "at the earliest possible date" is needed to avoid the costs of groundwater replenishment obligations. The agreement notes that under the designated water status the town expects from the Arizona Department of Water Resources, all town-delivered irrigation water will need to be replenished.
Under the draft, the town's payment for handing over the system would be the debt and operating costs it avoids on that replenishment.
