Infrastructure Report Card 2005

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Arizona

Roads

29% of Arizona's major urban roads are congested.
Vehicle travel on Arizona's highways increased 52% from 1990 to 2003. Arizona's population grew 52% between 1990 and 2003.
Driving on roads in need of repair costs Arizona motorists $459 million a year in extra vehicle repairs and operating costs -- $120 per motorist.
Congestion in the Phoenix metropolitan area costs commuters $812 per person per year in excess fuel and lost time.
Congestion in the Tucson area costs commuters $507 per person per year in excess fuel and lost time.

Dams

There are 38 state-determined deficient dams in Arizona.
Arizona has 91 high hazard dams. A high hazard dam is defined as a dam whose failure would cause a loss of life and significant property damage.
The rehabilitation cost for Arizona's most critical dams is estimated at $64 million.

Drinking Water

Arizona's drinking water infrastructure needs $1.62 billion over the next 20 years.

Wastewater

Arizona has almost $6.2 billion in wastewater infrastructure needs.

Solid Waste

Arizona generates 1.10 tons of solid waste per capita.
Arizona recycles 17.5% of the state's solid waste.

Schools

64% of Arizona's schools have at least one inadequate building feature.
69% of Arizona's schools have at least one unsatisfactory environmental condition.

Engineer Anecdotes

"Population growth creates problems for infastructure needs." - a civil engineer from Gilbert, AZ

"Lack of public support for sales tax application to roadways is significant reason for lack of finances." - a civil engineer from Tucson, AZ

"The state of Arizona has made some progress in the areas of water supply. Also, the voters approved additional funding for light rail, bus service and road construction, which is becoming a concern with Phoenix's continued growth. Also, in the energy area, a second supplier of gasoline fuel is coming to AZ via Texas, which will help alleviate this problem area because AZ has only had one gasoline pipeline supplier, and this supplier's pipelines are becoming old and undersized." - a civil engineer from Phoenix, AZ

From the Headlines

For nearly three years, state regulators have skipped inspections of some dams in the Phoenix metro area, even as continued growth has put more houses and people at risk if a dam fails during a flash flood. Instead, the state turned over the task of ensuring dam safety to the people who own and maintain the dams: the Maricopa County Flood Control District. These flood control dams protect areas from storm runoff and serious flash floods that can cause millions of dollars in damage and threaten lives. An analysis of county inundation maps shows that if McMicken Dam northwest of Phoenix failed, about 5,000 to 20,000 people in the Surprise area would be at risk, depending on where the failure occurred. If the Dreamy Draw Dam in north Phoenix failed, approximately 8,000 people could be affected. Budget cuts at the Water Resources Department forced staff reductions, including dam inspectors. At one point, the department had only two full-time dam safety engineers. Arizona Republic 12/8/04

Phoenix's 1.4 million residents were told to continue boiling water, but the water alert that occurred when high sediment levels were found appears to be nearing an end. Water flowing from the contaminated Val Vista water treatment plant in Mesa was testing safe, but dirty water was still working its way through the 18-mile pipeline. City officials said there was no lethal risk to people who drink the water; however, health officials said potential symptoms from dirty water include gastrointestinal problems. The end to the alert will come as a relief to Phoenix residents who have turned off water sprinklers, took shorter showers or skipped them altogether and bought bottled water, some hoarding it by the cases, as they awoke to find the city's water system under unusual strain. Schoolchildren went without physical education classes and recess, and there were no sips from water fountains or traditional hot meals at the cafeteria. Arizona Republic 1/26/05

The Pima County Board of Supervisors has voted to keep negotiating with the state over a proposed financial settlement of charges that raw sewage spills violated water-quality laws. Records released show that more than 51 million gallons of raw sewage overflowed from the county's sewer lines in 175 spills from 2001-2003. Nearly all of that total came from a single spill -- the September 2002 sewer line break that forced 90 families to evacuate their homes and closed parts of a busy city street for six weeks. Several county supervisors said the overflows show that the county is failing to maintain its sewer lines adequately. Associated Press 2/2/05

Sources

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