Arizona Corporation Commission Chair Lea Marquez-Peterson observed that the sale to EPCOR “will ensure residents of San Tan Valley have safe and reliable water and wastewater service moving forward and allow critical economic development in the area to continue.”
San Tan Valley attorney Court Rich told the Arizona Republic that having EPCOR as owner would “unlock immense economic potential and job-creating potential. The entire region will benefit.”
By March of 2021, we had announced the start of an expansion of the Pecan Water Reclamation Plant, and by April 2022 we had completed the project. The project increased the facility's capacity by 1 million gallons per day and replaced the poorly maintained parts of the facility where the wastewater treatment process begins.
The expansion of the facility is part of more than $138 million in infrastructure improvements that will be needed over the next three years, including the construction of a new wastewater treatment facility to serve customers.
As these projects further established EPCOR’s value in the utility sector in the southern U.S., our time in owning and operating the water utility system in Bullhead City came to a close. This was driven by a two-year process in which Bullhead City pursued expropriation of the utility for operation and management by the municipality.
Following the posting of a bond in mid-2021, and assessment to determine fair value for purchase of the utility system, EPCOR and Bullhead City mutually agreed on a settlement and concluded the process in early 2022.