Staff Reports | Community Updates
Water treatment plant operators from Scottsdale Water recently completed a behind‑the‑scenes effort to maintain the city’s water purification system.
At the Advanced Water Treatment facility at the Scottsdale Water Campus, crews replaced hundreds of reverse osmosis membrane sections—an essential component of the city’s treatment process, according to a press release.
The facility features 24 reverse osmosis skids, each containing multiple pressure vessels that house membrane sections. These components play a key role in water purification and are typically replaced about every seven years. To ensure continuous water production and cost stability, Scottsdale Water performs the work in phases across several fiscal years.
Reverse osmosis is one of several steps used to transform conventionally treated wastewater into highly purified water that meets drinking water standards. The membranes act as ultra‑fine filters, separating out salts, dissolved solids, organics and microorganisms as water moves through a semi‑permeable barrier.
Before the reverse osmosis stage, water at the Scottsdale Water Campus undergoes ozonation and ultrafiltration. Afterward, it receives additional protection through ultraviolet photolysis disinfection.
The resulting purified water is either delivered to golf courses in northern Scottsdale through the Reclaimed Water Distribution System or injected into the city’s drinking water aquifer through dry wells.
After spending about a decade underground, the same water can be recovered by Scottsdale Water’s groundwater wells, blended with other supplies and ultimately delivered back to customers’ taps.
Since 1988, Scottsdale Water operators, technicians and scientists have reused nearly 75 billion gallons of purified water through these processes, supporting long‑term water reliability for the community.
