How new technology and partnerships are helping Chandler’s water future

CHANDLER, AZ — Chandler has been quietly building a water strategy for years because city leaders know the Colorado River can no longer be counted on the way it once was. Small but significant changes are already adding up to improve the city’s water picture.

Chandler holds a 100-year assured water supply designation, meaning the state has certified the city has enough renewable water to meet its current and projected needs for the next century. But city leaders aren’t waiting for a crisis to act.

“Chandler has really been preparing for a future with less Colorado River water for decades now,” Simone Kjolsrud said.

In recent years, the city has ramped up that effort, diversifying its water sources by expanding groundwater banking, reclaimed water use, and conservation partnerships with local businesses.

“In 2023, we announced a brand-new rebate program, water efficiency technology rebate, and that is really focused specifically on our business community,” Kjolsrud said.

SanTan Brewing Company went further on its own. Head brewer Gabe Wilson and his team recently installed a mash filter press, a new technology that fundamentally changed how much water they use on every single batch.

“It literally mechanically squeezes it and squeezes out almost all the liquid; that way, we are able to capture nearly 100% of the liquid we put into it,” Wilson said.

The result is measurable.

“We are actually saving about 400 gallons of water every single time that we brew,” Wilson said.

Multiply that across hundreds of brew days a year, and across the dozens of businesses the city is working with, and those numbers start to add up. The city’s message is that no one sector carries this alone.

“Municipalities, agriculture, tribes, we are all going to have to work together to find those solutions. I don’t think residents should feel like it’s all on them to solve all the water problems; it’s going to be a bigger solution than that,” Kjolsrud said.