FORMER W.V. STUDENT GETS PROBATION FOR THREATS, PAGE 2
westvalleyview.com — the newspaper of Avondale, Buckeye, Goodyear, Litchfield Park & Tolleson, AZ 50¢ Wednesday, February 8, 2017 (623) 535-8439
THEY’RE BACK
Liberty opens recharge facility
Annual Girl Scout cookies sale underway — Page 19.
Goodyear site is result of public-private partnership
INSIDE
HAVE A SEAT
Have a news tip? Send it to news1@westvalleyview.com
View photo by Jordan Christopher
CENTENNIAL CELEBRATION Litchfield Park celebrating 100 years — Page 4.
GROUND BREAKING Construction begins on West Valley’s first Catholic high school — Page 4.
JENNIFER GRZANKA, 10, of Buckeye is all smiles while sitting in an OH-58 military helicopter during the annual Buckeye Air Fair Feb. 4 at the Buckeye Municipal Airport. The annual event featured multiple static displays as well as plenty of aeronautical demonstrations.
Program tests school drinking water for lead Statewide testing targets 7,000 buildings at 1,200 sites by Glenn Gullickson staff writer
DAILY UPDATES! News Updates and fresh Classified ads posted Monday - Friday at 4:30 p.m. online at www.westvalleyview.com Volume 31, No. 44 24 Pages 1 Section Circulation: 78,329 INDEX Classifieds .................... 20 Editorials & Letters .......... 6 Obituaries ...................... 18 Sports ............................. 9 Briefcase ......................... 5 9 Days a Week............... 17 Recycle this paper
oost B o c E er Pow
Drinking water at several West Valley public schools is being tested for lead as part of a statewide program being conducted by the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality. The testing is being done at 7,000 buildings at 1,200 schools in Arizona, according to Trevor Baggiore, director of ADEQ’s Water Quality Division. Baggiore said the program was developed after lead found in the water in Flint, Mich., became a national news story last year. “National awareness of lead in water has come back since Flint,” Baggiore said. “We saw a gap in knowledge about whether kids were exposed at their school.” While water is tested by providers before being delivered to schools, ADEQ’s screening will determine if water could become contaminated as it moves through a school’s plumbing system. Risk of lead leaching increases with intermittent water use, such as when schools are closed for weekends or breaks. In children, lead poisoning can cause slowed development, behavior problems and brain, liver and kidney damage, according to ADEQ. Baggiore said buildings identified to be tested
2017 FORD ORD ORD
ESCAPE S #C80505 C80505
are those with higher risks, including schools in certain ZIP codes, any campus that offers pre-kindergarten programs attended by children under age 5 and buildings constructed before 1987. Tests will also be done in a sampling of newer buildings to determine if there’s statistical evidence of a problem that would justify further testing, he said. “The program is designed to screen the entire state and give us an idea whether there are any problems,” said Caroline Oppleman, ADEQ public information officer. Oppleman said the program that started in January is on a “fast track,” with testing to be completed by June. She called the program “proactive,” since it is not mandated by state or federal legislation or regulations. “We saw it as an opportunity to work with the schools,” Baggiore said. While participation by the schools is optional, Baggiore said the response has been good, with some public schools not on the list to be tested expressing interest in the program, as well as some private schools. By early February, about one-third of the buildings were scheduled for tests, which (See Lead on Page 5)
$
by Glenn Gullickson staff writer
A facility created by a unique public-private partnership that uses treated wastewater to recharge aquifers has started operating in the West Valley. Arizona’s first public-private reclaimed water recharge facility is the result of a 100-year partnership between Liberty Utilities and the Central Arizona Water Conservation District, a groundwater replenishment authority. Executives from both agencies were on hand Feb. 1 for a ribbon cutting at the Liberty Aquifer Replenishment Facility at 15080 W. Camelback Road, Goodyear. Officials said the facility will enhance local water supplies by creating a reuse for 3.5 million gallons of wastewater that is treated each day at Liberty Utilities’ Palm Valley Water Reclamation Facility. The treated water is sold by the company for irrigation of parks and golf courses, with the surplus delivered to the replenishment facility, where it is recharged into underlying aquifers. The pipes that deliver the reclaimed water to the facility are not attached to any potable water lines, according to the company. The facility is designed to recharge up to two feet of water in a 24-hour period into each of four aquifer basins. Plans call for opening more basins in the future. Officials estimated that over a 20-year period, 32 billion gallons of water will be stored in the underlying basins on the 58-acre site. Planning for the project started six years ago, with the site identified three years ago, according to Matthew Garlick, president of Liberty Utilities Arizona. The land was purchased in 2015. Construction took about a year and was completed in December. Ted Cooke, general manager of the Central Arizona Project, said the project has gained international attention and will help achieve state goals for replenishing the aquifer. “It’s a groundbreaking project,” Cooke said. “It’s truly a win-win. We need to do more of these kinds of things.” Central Arizona Project funded $6.1 million of the $8.3 million project. Since the facility is near Luke Air Force Base, basins on the site are covered by a mesh netting installed to prevent birds from being attracted to standing water and creating the potential for bird strikes for passing planes.
199
BA
S CK OUR PA AD EE GE ON FO R M THE * ORE!
/MO.
36 MONTH LEASE
24600 4600 W. Y YUMA UMA UM A RO ROAD ROAD, AD, BU BUCK BUCKEYE CKEY EYE E (JUST (JUSTT SO (JUS SOUTH OF I-10 BETWEE BETWEEN MILLER AND WATSON ROADS) | 623.386.4429 | JONESFORDBUCKEYE.COM *36 mo. lease through Ford Motor Credit Company. 10,500 mile lease. lease $2,500 due at lease inception. $750.00 Owner Loyalty rebate included in monthly payment. $199.00 per month payment does not include taxes of $18.56 per month. Offer valid through 2/14/17. Similar offers available. See dealer for details.