Arizona cities turn to wells as Colorado River supply shrinks 

As the Colorado River continues to dwindle under the strain of a decades-long drought, municipalities across Arizona are increasingly turning to wells to secure their water future.

Cities like Gilbert and Peoria are investing heavily in well infrastructure, tapping into underground reserves and reclaimed water to offset reductions in their Colorado River allotments.

“We’re having to drill a few wells now more aggressively than the past because of the allocations of the CAP water being drought stricken,” said David Burks, Peoria’s water services director. “We’ve ramped our game up on new well-drilling locations, but it’s almost entirely based around being able to pump recovered water instead of groundwater.”

Peoria operates 29 active wells and has drilled two more , with two additional