Last month, operators at Scottsdale Water completed a significant update to the city’s water purification system by replacing hundreds of reverse osmosis (R.O.) membrane sections at the Advanced Water Treatment facility on the Scottsdale Water Campus. This maintenance is part of a phased approach that helps ensure continuous water production and spreads costs over several fiscal years.
The facility contains 24 R.O. skids, each with multiple pressure vessels housing membrane sections that are replaced about every seven years. These membranes play a key role in filtering out salts, dissolved solids, organics, and microorganisms from conventionally treated wastewater, turning it into highly purified water that meets drinking standards.
Before reaching the reverse osmosis stage, water undergoes ozonation and ultrafiltration. After R.O., ultraviolet photolysis disinfection provides an additional layer of protection. The resulting purified water is then either delivered to golf courses in northern Scottsdale through the Reclaimed Water Distribution System or injected into the city’s drinking water aquifer via dry wells.
Water stored underground for up to a decade can later be recovered by groundwater wells, blended with other supplies, and returned to customers’ taps as safe and reliable drinking water.
Since 1988, nearly 75 billion gallons of purified water have been reused through these processes by Scottsdale Water staff. “There is truly no treatment plant quite like Scottsdale’s Advanced Water Treatment facility. To learn more about this innovative system, visit ScottsdaleAZ.gov, and search ‘Advanced Water Purification.’”
Scottsdale has a history of blending Western heritage with cultural activities and recreational spaces such as parks and golf courses in areas like Indian Bend Wash (official history page, organizational chart). The city operates under a council-manager government structure where legislative authority rests with the council (official website). As of 2000, Scottsdale had over 202,000 residents across about 185 square miles (official history page), earning recognition for safety among U.S. cities its size (official recognition page) and embracing its nickname as “The West’s Most Western Town” (official history page).
