Marana Water Director John Kmiec speaks at the grand opening ceremony.
On Tuesday, November 27, Marana Water held the Marana Reclamation Facility and Recharge Project Grand Opening ceremony. The facility opened earlier this fall and is the culmination of two years of hard work by Marana Water staff.
“This celebration has been a long time coming for the Town,” said Marana Water and Reclamation Director John Kmiec. “For over ten years the Town has embarked on this journey [to control] its own destiny as far as water resource management.”
The new wastewater facility can treat triple its previous capacity, equating to a total of 1.5 million gallons per day. Marana can now handle up to 10,000 new homes or businesses coming into the area.
“Our day here is about the future,” Kmiec said. It is about the future of the Town of Marana, in particular the north part of Marana where we have these water resources. “Where we are the wastewater provider for the community, and throughout the whole Marana Water system that will be benefitting from the resources that will be managed out of this facility.”
The new facility uses a process known as conventional activated sludge treatment. The process uses bacteria and biological matter to break down waste and help purify the water. The facility utilizes two separate treatment trains that can treat up to 750,000 gallons per day each. The two treatment trains also allow for redundancy should maintenance be required. This expansion was designed to allow further expansion with room for additional basins, which was another reason that Council selected this process.
In addition to making improvements on the facility, Town Council decided to enter the sewer business to enhance Marana’s water portfolio. The recharge facility is able to recharge 100 percent of the effluent from the new water reclamation facility. Marana will receive recharge credits for 100 percent of the water stored in the facility from the Arizona Department of Water Resources. These credits allow the town to provide safe, reliable and sustainable resources for its customers.
“For a successful community in the state of Arizona to be enduring…we have to have proper resource management of our local water supplies,” said Kmiec. “It is critical, and that is what today is about.”
Marana took over the previous facility from Pima County in 2012 with the ability to treat 500,000 gallons per day. The Town Council voted to fund the expansion in 2016, and the project went on line two years later this June.
“This celebration has been a long time coming for the town,” Kmiec said. “For over 10 years the Town has embarked on this journey of its own destiny.”
Marana Mayor Ed Honea spoke at the ceremony and reminded everyone that Marana incorporated in large part as a way for area residents to control their ground water, so it was only fitting that the plant will help Marana continue to grow.
“We’ve come a long way and we have a wonderful staff and I am proud of all of them,” Honea said.
KVOA TV came out and did a nice feature on the facility and what it means to Marana:
