Glendale is relying on stored water, a diversified supply and more than $100 million in planned infrastructure as Arizona prepares for deeper Colorado River reductions beginning in 2027.
The local details follow the U.S. Department of the Interior’s Aug. 21 approval of new operating rules for Lake Powell and Lake Mead. The rules require the Lower Basin states to reduce Colorado River deliveries by 1.25 million acre-feet in each of the next two years. If Arizona, California and Nevada implement their proposed sharing agreement, Arizona’s portion would be 760,000 acre-feet annually.
For Glendale residents, the immediate takeaway is that the federal action does not translate into a scheduled interruption of household water service. City officials say decades of water banking and several supply sources give Glendale options as Colorado River deliveries decline. The larger question is how long those safeguards will be sufficient if dry conditions persist.
Where Glendale’s water comes from
About 55% of Glendale’s drinking water comes from the Salt and Verde rivers through the Salt River Project, according to information the city provided to ABC15. Another 41% comes from the Colorado River through the Central Arizona Project, while groundwater supplies about 4%. Reclaimed water is used for purposes including landscaping, industry and aquifer recharge.
That mix limits Glendale’s dependence on any single source, but the city still receives a substantial share from the Colorado River. The federal operating decision says Lake Powell and Lake Mead recently reached record-low combined conditions, with 2026 worsened by the lowest observed snowpack on record.
The federal rules also call for the Lower Basin to voluntarily conserve and store at least 700,000 additional acre-feet over two years. Reclamation expects Lake Powell releases to begin the 2027 water year between 6 million and 7 million acre-feet, with the final release volume to be determined in April 2027.
Stored water and well projects
Glendale has banked water underground since 1996. City Environmental Program Administrator Joanne Toms told ABC15 that Glendale has accumulated about 209,000 acre-feet of long-term storage credits. Those credits represent water previously stored in aquifers that the city can recover when surface supplies are constrained.
Toms said Glendale would begin drawing on those credits if its Colorado River supply were reduced by about 65%. That threshold is much larger than the cut expected under the states’ proposed 2027-28 allocation, although the effect on each municipal provider depends on how Arizona implements its statewide reduction.
The city is also developing five groundwater-well projects estimated at $54 million to $70 million, with funding allocated through its capital improvement program. Glendale has committed about $50 million to the proposed Bartlett Dam expansion on the Verde River system, according to the city’s account.
Glendale’s fiscal 2027-36 capital plan presentation identifies new and rehabilitated groundwater wells among the Water Services Department’s priorities. The city has not presented the well program as a response that will be completed before the 2027 cuts take effect; the projects are part of a longer-term resilience strategy.
No new household mandate announced
Glendale remains in Stage One, or drought watch, under its four-stage drought management plan. The city has a mandatory 5% conservation target for municipal parks and public rights of way and asks customers to reduce their water use voluntarily by 5%. Mandatory residential outdoor-watering restrictions are associated with later drought stages and have not been announced as part of the current response.
The city also holds a state designation of assured water supply. That designation supports continued development within the designated service area, but it does not remove the need for conservation, infrastructure investment or future planning as river conditions change.
Mayor Jerry Weiers and Glendale Chamber of Commerce President Zach Yentzer highlighted the city’s water preparation in a Sept. 3 joint opinion column. Their growth-focused message is the city’s position; the measurable milestones ahead are implementation of Arizona’s 2027 reduction, progress on the well projects and Reclamation’s April decision on Lake Powell releases.
Featured image: AI-generated editorial illustration by West Valley Post. It does not depict a specific reservoir, water facility or engineering plan.