Background
Lake Havasu City is a community of about 55,000 residents living on the Arizona shore of the Colorado River. The city encompasses 42 square miles, with a planning area of 56 square miles. Future growth within the city is projected to increase the population of the city to 96,000 at build-out.
In the mid 1990’s, high levels of fecal coliform were detected in the waters of Lake Havasu, causing beach closures and significant economic consequences that lasted for years. From 1994 to 1996, the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality (ADEQ) conducted extensive investigations in Lake Havasu City and the lake itself to determine the causes of the contamination. In conjunction with the investigation, ADEQ drilled several monitoring wells along the shoreline throughout the city. In 1996, during routine monitoring, elevated levels of nitrates above the federal standards of 10 mg/l were detected in 3 monitoring wells and 2 drinking water wells in Desert Hills, located to the north of Lake Havasu City. Later in 1996, elevated nitrate levels were detected in a privately-installed monitoring well in the city. As a result of these elevated nitrate levels, ADEQ prohibited the installation of conventional septic systems within a 1-mile radius of these wells.
In response to rising concerns over the need to preserve the quality of the groundwater of Lake Havasu, a comprehensive wastewater master plan was authorized by the city. When the wastewater master plan was prepared, 16% of the land within the city limits, and 12% of the planning area was served by a central sewer system. The remainder utilized onsite (septic) systems to treat and dispose of the waste generated from each property. The Comprehensive Wastewater Master Plan was completed in 1998 and recommended the elimination of septic systems and the construction of a community sewer system. A bond election was held in 2001 to authorize the borrowing necessary to proceed with the Wastewater System Expansion Program (WWSE). This bond election passed by a margin of 3 to 1.
The $463 million bond issue will fund the system including over 400 miles of sewer lines, 9,700 manholes, and 75 pump stations. In addition, one new treatment plant will be added and modifications will be made to two others. As a result, over the 11-year WWSE Program, approximately 25,000 septic tanks will be decommissioned.
Lake Havasu City also helped found and has continued to be the driving force behind the Colorado River Regional Sewer Coalition (CRRSCo), a non-profit organization with the goal to preserve and improve the quality of the Colorado River through elimination of septic systems and the progressive sewering of communities along the Colorado River.