Buckeye targets three to five years for Harquahala water

Buckeye is targeting a three-to-five-year timeline to transport Harquahala Valley groundwater to the city.

A city representative provided the timeline in written responses to InBuckeye. The final delivery method and total infrastructure cost remain undetermined.

The project will require regulatory approvals and infrastructure to pump, treat, and transmit the water to the Central Arizona Project canal.

Once the water reaches Buckeye, the city could deliver it directly or store it in an aquifer.

In a new Facebook video, the city highlighted several parts of its water portfolio. Those include Colorado River rights, reclaimed water, aquifer recharge, conservation programs, and Harquahala groundwater.

The city said it has secured nearly 600,000 acre-feet of water from Harquahala for use over the next century. It closed the video with a confident message: “Buckeye’s water future is bright.”

However, the public response was far less certain.

Residents push back

Several commenters questioned whether Buckeye can continue approving growth while describing its water supply as secure.

“It would be brighter if you’d stop building,” Cindi Owens wrote.

Leenie Saalman Keyes called on the city to deny data centers. Joshua Coghill asked why the City Council approved Grand View if water is a concern.

Other commenters focused on Harquahala Valley. They warned that transferring groundwater could hurt farming or force rural well owners to drill deeper.

The city then posted a detailed response. It also provided additional answers to InBuckeye.

Officials said much of Buckeye’s current growth began with annexations and master plans approved decades ago. Many of those areas were planned during the late 1990s and early 2000s.

The city said it owns only about 1,300 acres. Much of the remaining land is privately owned and already carries development rights.

Officials said the city must manage growth while ensuring infrastructure, public safety, and water resources keep pace.

The city also argued that changing farmland to urban uses can reduce total water demand.

The Arizona Department of Water Resources reports that irrigated agriculture uses about 72% of Arizona’s available water supply. That statewide figure does not establish the impact of every individual project.

Arizona’s Ag-to-Urban program allows eligible farmers to voluntarily relinquish groundwater irrigation rights. In exchange, they can receive credits supporting a 100-year assured water supply.

Developments must still satisfy other state requirements involving availability, water quality, financing, and conservation.

What the water records show

Buckeye’s water portfolio contains several distinct assets, but not every source currently reaches customer taps.

The city’s water supply flyer says groundwater is Buckeye’s current delivered source. The broader portfolio includes Colorado River allocations, reclaimed water, storage credits, and Harquahala rights.

Buckeye has an annual Colorado River allocation of about 2,786 acre-feet. The city acknowledges that shortages could reduce or eliminate that supply in some years.

Meanwhile, a 2023 state groundwater model projected 4.4 million acre-feet of unmet demand in the Lower Hassayampa Sub-basin over 100 years.

As a result, the state stopped approving new subdivisions there that depend only on groundwater.

The Harquahala acquisition gives Buckeye another option.

In July 2025, ADWR authorized Buckeye to withdraw up to 5,926 acre-feet annually from the Harquahala Irrigation Non-Expansion Area. The total cannot exceed 592,592 acre-feet during a period of up to 110 years.

ADWR found that the transfer would not unreasonably increase damage to surrounding residents or other water users. Its analysis projected nearly the same groundwater depletion under continued agricultural pumping.

Still, Buckeye’s 2025 Integrated Water Master Plan describes Harquahala groundwater as a fixed, nonrenewable supply.

The city representative said significant regulation and infrastructure will be needed before pumping begins.

That includes facilities to extract and treat the water. The city must also transmit it to the CAP canal for transportation to Buckeye.

“Once in Buckeye, we have several options in which to use the water, such as direct delivery or aquifer storage,” the representative said.

Those options have not been finalized. The representative also said the total infrastructure cost has not been determined.

The city expects protections for current Harquahala water users.

According to the representative, Buckeye and other entities transporting water must ensure new pumping does not affect existing farms or private wells.

All withdrawals must also be metered. That requirement is intended to keep pumping within the amount authorized by the state.

Buckeye holds an approved water right, but the delivery system remains an important part of the equation.

Data centers remain a key concern

Many comments focused on data centers, but the city says none currently operate in Buckeye. It also says none are under construction.

A city representative confirmed that potential projects are being evaluated within designated industrial and employment corridors.

The city can establish conditions through development agreements and conditional use permits. Those conditions could include annual water caps, efficient cooling standards, and monitoring requirements.

Additionally, some potential sites may not receive city water. Those developers would need to secure their own supplies and infrastructure.

One is the proposed Buckeye Tech Corridor west of the municipal airport. The city says the land was previously entitled for about 9,700 homes.

Those homes would use an estimated 4,500 acre-feet annually. A proposed technology corridor would carry a 2,000-acre-foot annual cap, according to the city.

The representative cited that agreement as an example of how Buckeye can place enforceable water restrictions on technology and employment projects.

Grand View is another potential location. The City Council unanimously approved the annexation of approximately 1,918 acres in April.

The plan allows residential, commercial, light industrial, and heavy industrial development. The city says a data center is not Grand View’s primary focus.

Available public records do not show that the council approved a specific data center at Grand View.

When asked for Grand View’s projected water use, the city did not provide a project-wide annual estimate.

Instead, the representative explained that Buckeye’s utility does not deliver Colorado River water directly to customers. Most deliveries begin as groundwater, although the legal water source supporting that pumping can vary.

For single-family development, the city pointed to the Central Arizona Groundwater Replenishment District. Grand View could use Type 1 groundwater rights tied to agricultural land or in-state surface water.

The larger debate is likely to continue. Buckeye has documented water rights, conservation programs, and recharge efforts.

At the same time, residents want project-specific numbers, enforceable limits, delivery schedules, and clearer information about regional impacts.

The city has now provided a target for delivering Harquahala water. The final system, total cost, and Grand View’s projected annual demand remain unanswered.