By Maritza Dominguez | Arizona Republic
Once a hub for farming nestled on the edge of Maricopa County, Queen Creek has become one of the county’s fastest-growing cites.
The town incorporated in 1989 and had just over 2,500 residents.
Nearly 34 years later, Queen Creek is home to more than 66,000 residents and is estimated to reach 125,000 residents once the town is fully developed.
To the south, San Tan Valley is one of the state’s largest unincorporated communities, with about 100,000 residents and about half of those residents are within Queen Creek’s water service area.
Queen Creek is largely reliant on groundwater for its main source of water and as the town continues to build out, staff are seeking new water supplies.
Queen Creek is allowed to pump 55,000 acre-feet of groundwater every year for 100 years.
Experts have warned that groundwater is a finite water source that should be used as a “savings account” and not be relied on as a municipality’s main supply of water.
Replacing groundwater supplies with surface water supply is intended to be a move by Queen Creek to secure a more responsible source.
