The city of Cottonwood is putting its reclaimed wastewater to work, in part to help grow vines at the Southwest Wine Center on the campus of Yavapai College in Clarkdale.
The cost is 92 cents for 1,000 gallons of water.
Granted, it may not be advisable to drink the reclaimed water, but the city runs the water through an extensive process to make it suitable for all kinds of uses.
The Verde River Basin Partnership coordinated a field trip last week to learn about Cottonwood’s water system as well as a look at the wine center.
Dan Campbell, a board member with the partnership, said that finding a way to reuse water was one example of what it will take to make living in this desert climate sustainable.
“We have to live within our means,” Campbell said. “This is an example of what we need to do.”
Cottonwood Mayor Diane Joens said that the city has been working to improve its water system since acquiring local private water companies over the past several years.
That’s including upgrading pipes, Joens said, many of which were aging and leaking large amounts of water.
As much as 47 percent of water was being lost due to leaky pipes, Joens said. Today, that number is closer to around 11 percent, said Roger Biggs, an administrative manager who works with the water system.
To read the full story, see the Wednesday, July 23, edition of the Cottonwood Journal Extra.
