AVONDALE, Ariz. — People living in the West Valley are being asked to voluntarily conserve water during one of the hottest weeks of the year.
Liberty Utilities, a water provider, is asking customers in Avondale, Glendale, Goodyear and Litchfield Park to conserve voluntarily.
The company received administrative approval from the Arizona Corporation Commission in May to implement a revised curtailment plan tariff, meaning now "Stage 2" asks residents to voluntarily reduce their water use by half, including taking steps like alternating watering days, adjusting outdoor watering times and implementing a construction water blackout period in the morning.
To move to this stage, the amended plan requires the company to meet specific benchmarks, including, that the "company's water storage or well production be less than 80 percent of capacity for at least 48 hours."
In addition, the company also has to identify specific issues that "create a reasonable belief the company will be unable to meet anticipated water demand on a sustained basis."
A spokesperson confirmed to 12News Tuesday that Liberty Utilities did meet those criteria, prompting the Stage 2 notice to be sent out to customers.
The move to Stage 2 follows last summer when Liberty Utilities customers complained of reduced water pressures, prompting an investigation into the company by the Arizona Corporation Commission.
"We regret that some of our customers in this area experienced a period of low water pressure this past summer," Greg Sorenson, President of Liberty Utilities' Western Region, told the Arizona Corporation Commission in February 2024. "It was amidst, I think, a very unusual event for Phoenix. I've lived here for over 18 years - unusual weather with excessive and prolonged heat, lack of rainfall, driving an increase in demand."
As for how long the current Stage 2 voluntary conservation restrictions would last, a spokesperson told 12News that each stage is based on criteria outside of time/duration.
The next stage up from the current restrictions, Stage 3, would require residents to conserve water. That would include ending all watering except for watering livestock. The company did not say if it is forecasting needing to move to those restrictions but said they are monitoring system pressures and reservoir levels.
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