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Surprise ICE Detention Center Would Triple Water Use, Force City to Drill New Well Years Early
A federal environmental review finds the proposed 1,500-bed ICE detention center in Surprise would consume about 190,000 gallons of water dailyâtriple the warehouse's original designârequiring the city to accelerate a new municipal well and arsenic treatment expansion. The facility would pay for the upgrades and fall under a city water ordinance adopted three days before ICE bought the building.
SURPRISE, Ariz. â A proposed federal immigration detention center in Surprise would consume roughly three times as much water as the warehouse it would replace, forcing the city to drill a new municipal well about five years ahead of schedule, according to a draft environmental assessment released Monday by the Department of Homeland Security.
The facility, planned for a 400,000-square-foot warehouse at Sweetwater Avenue and Dysart Road, would use approximately 190,000 gallons of water on an average day, the assessment projects. The building was originally designed for about 63,000 gallons daily.
"Operation of the Proposed Action would substantially increase water demand above that anticipated for the existing industrial development," the report states.
To meet the added demand, Surprise would need to build a new city well roughly five years earlier than planned and expand arsenic treatment capacity at a municipal water plant, according to the review. The detention center, which ICE owns, would pay for the infrastructure work.
The project would also fall under a city water rule the Surprise City Council adopted on Jan. 20 â three days before ICE purchased the warehouse. The ordinance requires businesses using more than 100,000 gallons per day to sign a 15-year water agreement approved by the council and to supply their own water if the city cannot. At the time of adoption, no city water customer used that much, according to a staff report from the meeting.
The report says the facility would need to demonstrate to the city that it has access to about 490 million gallons of water.
The warehouse would hold up to 1,500 detainees and about 676 staff members.
DHS agreed in a court settlement with Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes not to convert the building until its environmental review is complete. The draft assessment, which found no significant environmental harm, is open for 30 days of public comment.
The proposal comes as Arizona communities grapple with the water demands of large-scale development and as federal immigration detention capacity expands across the state. The draft review's finding that the project would not cause significant environmental harm despite tripling water use at the site is likely to draw scrutiny from residents and local officials concerned about the region's water future.
Public comment on the draft assessment is open for 30 days.