Official Web Site of the City of Phoenix

Infill & New Development Requirements

Areas Where Extra Attention is Required
While all redevelopment may trigger water and wastewater improvements, particular care must be taken when contemplating new residential or commercial construction or changes in land use density or use in the following areas, which are shown on the map below. Click on a specific area on the map below to view additional information.

Known Sewer Capacity Constraint Areas: The introduction of more stringent State and Federal regulations governing the capacity of sewers, and improved modeling and monitoring of flows in the City's wastewater system, led to the identification of a significant number of sewers in Phoenix that were at or above acceptable operational capacities. To address this situation WSD imposed temporary restrictions on new development at various locations around the City. The City also initiated a major program of new sewer improvements to resolve these issues, and as of April 2009, these sewer relief projects were completed.

Downtown Phoenix - Map Area 1:

Downtown is experiencing a resurgence of activity with the expanded convention center, the introduction of light rail, and the new ASU campus which has spurred the design and construction of a wide range of new multifamily, office, and mixed development projects. These projects are beginning to change the downtown environment. Currently downtown is served by sufficient regional water and sewer infrastructure to meet the needs of growth for the next decade or more. However, many of the existing local water distribution and sewer collection mains were constructed prior to 1960 and were not designed to satisfy the large water volume requirements associated with modern high density development. Most of downtown will eventually require a new 12" diameter distribution water main grid that can accommodate numerous multistory buildings. Some locations downtown have adequate water lines to meet project needs but other in other locations downtown the existing water mains are insufficient to meet the domestic and fire flow requirements of projects that often are more than 10 stories high. Those planning projects downtown should contact the Water Services Department as early in the planning process as possible to begin assessing what might be the water and sewer requirements for these projects.

Camelback-McDowell Corridor - Map Are 2:

The water pressure zone that currently serves the Camelback Core and areas to the southeast has reached its limit to serve new high-rise development in the corridor. New high-rise development in the Camelback Core will be required to construct significant regional system improvements or wait until the City is able to fund these improvements. The City has been working with a group of core property owners to determine the improvements required to be built by developers to allow projects to move forward in this area. City staff are reviewing proposals that will include the construction of a new booster station and transmission mains to create a new water pressure zone in the higher areas of the old zone 1, as well as the installation of pressure reducing valves that will create a new zone between the existing water pressure zone 2A and the old water pressure zone 1.

Camelback Core - Area 3:

The Camelback Core area currently does not have sufficient water infrastructure to provide service for any further high rise development. Infrastructure required to service new high-rise development has been identified. This includes a 32MGD pump station and several miles of 20" to 32" water line. Negotiations are currently underway with several proerty owners for a joint partnership with the City to build this infrastructure.

Camelback and 44th Street - Map Area 4:

A review of water and sewer capacity in this area indicates that proposed additional development would result in the need for new water and wastewater facilities. Depending on the specific location of projects, the existing facilities may be able to accommodate limited additional residential or commercial development, but a significant amount of redevelopment will trigger the need for larger lines. These improvements will vary upon which corners are developed and when they develop. Some development may be accommodated with only moderate improvements but major developments in this area will likely trigger significant local and regional water and sewer improvements. Click here for a listing of sewer and water infrastructure issues pertaining to this area. ¹

Central and Camelback - Map Area 5:

Initial investigations into sewer capacity issues in this area indicate that a larger sewer would be required to serve several new developments as the intersection of Central and Camelback. Depending on how many corners of the intersection are redeveloped, the densities, and when, the sewers in Central, Coolidge, 3rd Avenue, and Glenrosa may have to be upgraded to 18 inch diameter pipes or larger. The timing and sizing of the installation of new facilities would be dependent on the sequence of proposed redevelopment and the cumulative additional residential and commercial space being planned. As in many other similar circumstances, ability to tap into the existing system without triggering infrastructure upgrades will depend on which projects come in first for site plan approval, and what types of densities are being proposed in the various site plan applications.

Arizona State University West - Map Area 6:

The ASU West campus site falls in the upper low pressure portion of the Phoenix water pressure zone 2A, which is located in the upper northwest area of this service zone. The campus site is located approximately nine miles away from the nearest water storage facility for this pressure zone, and the nearest zone 2A transmission main is over 3.5 miles away to the south. Alternative water sources exist in a 42" main that serves zone 3D and in a 16" main that is also part of zone 3D, but these facilities serve a different zone and are at least a mile away. The lack of a good network of 12 inch distribution lines also places restrictions on the ability to serve this area. Preliminary investigations indicate that the types of development that is anticipated in the ASU West Campus, which include extensive commercial and student residence construction, will require the installation of several miles of water transmission main and modifications to existing PRV stations. Depending on exactly what is planned for the future campus and adjacent locations, a half mile of 24 inch main, a mile of 20 inch main and a mile of 16 inch main could be required, resulting in water infrastructure costs of many millions of dollars.

West side of Loop 101 and north of Indian School Road - Map Area 7:

Currently, the City of Phoenix has limited capacity for both domestic and fire flow demands in this area. This is due to a large 48" transmission water main under the Loop 101 which was taken out of service due to damage to the pipe. The Water Services Department has placed a temporary 16" watermain over the freeway on the Indian School Road Bridge to meet existing water demands. However, until the 48" main is replaced, the normal amount of water available to this area will not be available. As a result, proposed developments in this area which have large fire flow demands, or large domestic water demands, will be required to wait until the City of Phoenix is able to replace the 48" water main under the Freeway. This water main will not likely be completed before January 2009.

Camelback and 115th Ave -Map Area 8:

There are no sewers currently serving the north side of Camelback Rd. The closest interceptor sewer is on 99th Avenue. Due to topography which slopes to the west, pumping will be needed to deliver wastewater to 99th Ave. There are some 12-inch water Zone 0 mains along Camelback, however, the 12-inch mains do not have sufficient capacity to provide fire flow demands for commercial development. It is likely that minimum 16-inch mains would need to be constructed from just west of 99th Avenue and Camelback. This area is affected by the same supply issues as the West side of Loop 101 and north of Indian School Road:

East Estrella - Map Area 9:

Portions of the East Estrella area that are located in the City of Phoenix Zone 0 water pressure zone are affected by a limited amount of water available for commercial fire flows. The area is generally bound by the Roosevelt Irrigation District Canal on the north, 67th Avenue on the west, 47th Avenue on the east, and the Salt River to the south. The only water supply to this area is a 12" waterline which feeds a single Pressure Reducing Valve located just south of the Roosevelt Irrigation District Canal, and a 12" waterline which connects to a 54" transmission main. The existing domestic demands on the system in this area are high, and with proposed new development in the area, will be higher yet. Many of the existing and proposed developments in this area are large commercial developments, to which the City of Phoenix Water Services Department must be able to deliver as much as 4,000 gallons per minute to meet fire flows. Current volume limitations associated with the existing network make it difficult or impossible to provide sufficient water to meet this level of fire flow requirements. As a result, significant infrastructure improvements which will deliver additional supplies of water to this area or on site storage and sprinkler systems will likely be required to accommodate future commercial developments.

Last modified on 10/13/2010 12:29:15