​PHOENIX—March 15, 2021—EPCOR is pleased to announce it will immediately begin construction to expand capacity of the Pecan Water Reclamation Plant in the new San Tan water and wastewater districts (formerly Johnson Utilities).

The $21 million project will increase the facility's capacity by 1 million gallons per day (MGD) and replace the poorly maintained parts of the facility where the wastewater treatment process begins, ensuring system reliability for existing customers and helping to meet future wastewater needs of the fast-growing San Tan Valley. The project has a 12-month timeline, starting March 2021.

The current Pecan treatment facility is designed to handle 3 MGD of incoming wastewater flows, but is permitted by the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality to handle up to 4 MGD. While EPCOR has made significant upgrades, repairs and other improvements since 2018, the Pecan plant is frequently at or above 90% capacity and has been the site of past sewer overflows. Design and construction of wastewater facility expansions are typically initiated when they reach 80% capacity.

"This is one of the most urgent wastewater priorities for our new San Tan districts and, because of that, we have placed an extremely fast timeline on the Pecan expansion," said Troy Day, EPCOR's Vice President of Engineering and Commercial Services. "As former-interim manager, and now owner of the San Tan districts, we have a unique understanding of the water and wastewater needs and will serve our newest customers with the high-quality service they deserve."

EPCOR has worked to enhance service and reliability, address public health issues, and significantly improve customer satisfaction since its original involvement with the San Tan utility began in 2018 as interim Manager, and will continue with our ownership. More than $138 million in infrastructure improvements are still necessary over the next three years, including the construction of a new wastewater treatment facility and the expansion of the Pecan facility.

The project also continues and advances EPCOR's goal of reusing or recharging 100% of the wastewater collected and treated. EPCOR has recycled/recharged 18.2 billion gallons of treated effluent for reuse in Arizona.  

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About EPCOR USA

EPCOR is among the largest private utilities in the Southwest and the largest in Arizona, providing water, wastewater and natural gas service to approximately 780,000 people across 42 communities and 18 counties in Arizona, New Mexico and Texas. With corporate offices in Phoenix, EPCOR employs approximately 425 people.