Report on Phoenix’s Advanced Water Purification Initiative and Alignment with Sustainable Development Goals

Project Overview and Funding

Officials have announced a significant investment in Phoenix’s water infrastructure, allocating nearly $180 million in federal funding for a new advanced water purification facility. This initiative is a critical step towards enhancing water security and sustainability in the region.

• Project: The North Gateway Advanced Water Purification Facility.
• Federal Funding: $179 million allocated through the Inflation Reduction Act.
• City Contribution: $321 million.
• Regulatory Approval: The Arizona Department of Environmental Quality permitted the use of Advanced Water Purification (AWP) technology in March.

Technical Specifications and Capacity

The project utilizes Advanced Water Purification (AWP), a process that recycles wastewater into potable water that meets or exceeds federal and local drinking water standards. This technology is central to the city’s strategy for sustainable resource management.

1. The new North Gateway facility will treat 8 million gallons of recycled water per day.
2. Combined with ongoing upgrades at the Cave Creek Water Reclamation Plant, the city’s total AWP capacity will reach approximately 12.5 million gallons per day.

Alignment with Sustainable Development Goal 6: Clean Water and Sanitation

This initiative directly addresses the core targets of SDG 6 by ensuring the availability and sustainable management of water. The project’s primary objective is to create a resilient and secure water supply, reducing the city’s dependency on the Colorado River.

• Target 6.3: Improve Water Quality by Increasing Recycling. The AWP facility is designed to substantially increase the proportion of safely treated and reused wastewater, contributing directly to a circular water economy.
• Target 6.4: Increase Water-Use Efficiency and Address Water Scarcity. By creating a new, drought-proof water source, the project significantly enhances water-use efficiency and mitigates the impacts of water scarcity, a critical issue for the region.

Contribution to Broader Sustainable Development Goals

Beyond water security, the facility’s development supports a range of interconnected SDGs, fostering urban resilience, economic stability, and climate adaptation.

• SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities. The project strengthens Phoenix’s resilience to climate-related hazards like drought. By aiming to reduce the cost of water for residents, it also supports Target 11.1 regarding access to affordable housing and basic services.
• SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth. As noted by U.S. Rep. Greg Stanton, securing a stable water supply is essential for removing limitations on economic growth, thereby supporting sustainable economic development in the state.
• SDG 12: Responsible Consumption and Production. The initiative embodies the principles of sustainable management and efficient use of natural resources (Target 12.2) by transforming wastewater from a disposable output into a valuable resource.
• SDG 13: Climate Action. Reducing reliance on the over-allocated Colorado River is a key climate adaptation strategy (Target 13.1), strengthening the city’s capacity to manage the impacts of long-term drought.

1. Which SDGs are addressed or connected to the issues highlighted in the article?

SDG 6: Clean Water and Sanitation

This is the most prominent SDG in the article. The entire piece focuses on a new advanced water purification facility in Phoenix designed to recycle wastewater into clean drinking water, directly addressing the core themes of water availability, quality, and sustainable management.

SDG 9: Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure

The article discusses the design and construction of a major infrastructure project—the North Gateway Advanced Water Purification Facility. It also highlights the use of “Advanced Water Purification (AWP)” technology, which represents innovation in making infrastructure more sustainable and efficient.

SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities

The project is a municipal initiative for the city of Phoenix. Its goals are to make the city more resilient to drought, ensure a sustainable water supply for its residents, reduce water costs, and make housing more affordable, all of which contribute to making the city more sustainable and inclusive.

SDG 13: Climate Action

The article explicitly states that the project is a response to the “ongoing drought,” which is identified as a “major issue.” By reducing reliance on the drought-affected Colorado River, the facility serves as a critical climate adaptation measure, strengthening the city’s resilience to climate-related hazards.

2. What specific targets under those SDGs can be identified based on the article’s content?

1. SDG 6: Clean Water and Sanitation

   • Target 6.1: Achieve universal and equitable access to safe and affordable drinking water for all. The article mentions the project will “reduce the costs for residents of obtaining clean water” and produce water that “meets or exceeds federal and local drinking water requirements.”
   • Target 6.3: Improve water quality by … substantially increasing recycling and safe reuse. The facility’s primary function is to recycle wastewater into drinking water, directly aligning with this target.
   • Target 6.4: Substantially increase water-use efficiency … and ensure sustainable withdrawals and supply of freshwater to address water scarcity. The project’s aim to “reduce the city’s reliance on the Colorado River” is a direct strategy to address water scarcity caused by drought.

2. SDG 9: Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure

   • Target 9.1: Develop quality, reliable, sustainable and resilient infrastructure … to support economic development and human well-being. The water facility is described as a key piece of infrastructure to combat drought, a “limiting factor for economic growth.”
   • Target 9.4: Upgrade infrastructure … with increased resource-use efficiency and greater adoption of clean and environmentally sound technologies. The “Advanced Water Purification (AWP)” technology is an example of a clean technology that increases resource-use efficiency by recycling water.

3. SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities

   • Target 11.5: Significantly reduce … the direct economic losses … caused by disasters, including water-related disasters. The project is a direct investment to mitigate the economic impacts of the ongoing drought, which is a water-related disaster.
   • Target 11.b: Substantially increase the number of cities … implementing integrated policies and plans towards … resource efficiency, mitigation and adaptation to climate change, resilience to disasters. The Phoenix water purification project is a tangible example of a city implementing a plan for resource efficiency and climate adaptation.

4. SDG 13: Climate Action

   • Target 13.1: Strengthen resilience and adaptive capacity to climate-related hazards and natural disasters. The entire project is framed as a response to the “ongoing drought,” thereby strengthening Phoenix’s resilience and adaptive capacity to this climate-related hazard.

3. Are there any indicators mentioned or implied in the article that can be used to measure progress towards the identified targets?

1. For SDG 6 (Clean Water and Sanitation)

   • Indicator for Target 6.3: The volume of treated wastewater. The article specifies the new facility “will treat 8 million gallons of recycled water each day,” and combined with another plant, will produce “about 12.5 million gallons of water per day.” This is a direct measure of the volume of safely reused water.
   • Indicator for Target 6.1: The proportion of the population using safely managed drinking water services. This is implied by the statement that the purified water “meets or exceeds federal and local drinking water requirements.”
   • Indicator for Target 6.4: Change in water-use efficiency. This is implied by the goal to “reduce the city’s reliance on the Colorado River,” which serves as a qualitative indicator of addressing water stress.

2. For SDG 9 (Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure)

   • Indicator for Target 9.1: Total investment in new infrastructure. The article provides specific financial figures: “Nearly $180 million in federal funding” and “$321 million put forth by the city.”

3. For SDG 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities)

   • Indicator for Target 11.b: The existence of a local disaster risk reduction strategy. The implementation of the AWP facility itself serves as an indicator that the city of Phoenix has adopted and is implementing a strategy to adapt to drought.
   • Indicator for Target 11.5: Reduction in economic and social disruption. This is implied by the goals to “reduce the cost of getting Phoenix residents water” and make “housing more affordable,” which are measures of mitigating the disaster’s socio-economic impact.

4. For SDG 13 (Climate Action)

   • Indicator for Target 13.1: The adoption and implementation of national and local disaster risk reduction strategies. Similar to Target 11.b, the construction of the water purification facility is a direct indicator of a local strategy to adapt to the climate-related disaster of drought.

4. Table of SDGs, Targets, and Indicators

Source: ktar.com