For over a decade, the Old Vail Reservoir and Booster site has played an important role for Tucson Water and Vail Water Company (VWC) alike. Vail Water Company’s annual Central Arizona Project (CAP) allocation is delivered to Tucson Water’s recharge facilities where water is stored, recovered, and then delivered through Tucson Water’s distribution system to Vail Water Company’s service area. This conveyance of water is termed “wheeling”. Since 2013, Tucson Water has been wheeling water to the Vail Water Company through the existing Old Vail Reservoir and Booster station. This agreement is part of a regional effort to use renewable water supplies and preserve groundwater.
To the south, Corona de Tucson is home to nearly 10,000 residents and counting. Tucson Water purchased Corona’s water infrastructure in in 1971 and has supported this isolated system by drawing on local groundwater resources. In 2005, an agreement was made with Santa Rita Water Authority (SRWA) to connect this isolated system to Tucson Water’s main system with a pipeline and required storage and booster capacity.
The upgraded Old Vail Reservoir and booster will provide enough water storage capacity to meet existing and projected water system demands. The reservoir and boosters are designed to meet ADEQ requirements for storage and supply for Tucson’s southeastern customers through 2045.
Meeting New Demand
The Old Vail Reservoir and Booster is designed to accommodate the growth projected in the One Water 2100 Plan and provide 6 million gallons of storage capacity to meet peak monthly demands and provide sufficient fire flow capacity. Connection fees for new development will contribute over $15 million through to recover the cost of these upgrades.
The first of two 3-million gallon tanks is expected to be completed in November 2024 – ready for utilization for nearby housing development.
A new booster station will allow flexibility to provide water service to new customers in Tucson Water’s service area including Corona de Tucson. A second 3-million gallon tank is expected in summer of 2025 along with supporting facilities, such as chlorination and control buildings.
This project involved construction of approximately 3 miles of new 24-inch transmission main along South Houghton Road, south of I-10. The work was completed as part of a Pima County Roadway expansion project. The new transmission main extends from the I-10/Houghton Road interchange south to the existing Tucson Water system north of Andrada Polytechnic High School.
This project includes design and construction of approximately 4 miles of new transmission mains that will connect the Old Vail Reservoir Booster Station with the with the South Houghton Road Transmission Main. The connection runs from the reservoir and booster, across I-10, and connects to the existing 24-inch transmission main mentioned above. Construction of the new transmission main is scheduled to begin in the spring of 2025.