They Knew It Was Sh*t Water — And They Passed It Anyway

Inside HB 2753: The Effluent Injection Bill That’s Putting Our Aquifers at Risk


🚨 From Toilet to Tap: The New Water Supply They Don’t Want You Asking About

Arizona lawmakers passed House Bill 2753 to make it legal to inject treated sewage water back into underground aquifers. The claim? That it's “safe,” “sustainable,” and “the only way forward” for growth in dry counties like Pinal.

But let’s call it what it is:

💩 Toilet-to-Tap — without your consent.

HB 2753 greenlit the recharge of Class A+ effluent (treated sewer water) directly into the same aquifers our families rely on for drinking water — including wells across San Tan Valley, Florence, and surrounding unincorporated areas.


👨‍⚖️ Who’s Behind HB 2753?

Follow the money and you’ll find:

  • Developers who needed a legal workaround to get their projects approved in water-scarce desert land.

  • Lobbyists from the Rose Law Group, pushing for policy changes to benefit their big-builder clients.

  • Politicians in Maricopa and Pinal counties who either sponsored or silently backed the bill under pressure from donors.

Why?

Because under Arizona law, builders must prove a 100-year water supply to get subdivisions approved. But there isn’t enough real water left. So instead, they invented a legal fiction:

“We’ll inject effluent into the aquifer — and call it a water supply.”


🧫 Is It Safe?

The short answer? Not really.

According to the CDC, reclaimed wastewater has been found to carry MRSA, drug-resistant staph, and antibiotic resistance genes — even after treatment.

  • 🦠 “Antibiotic resistance is one of the biggest public health challenges of our time… and environmental transmission is a key driver.”
    CDC.gov

  • 💉 A 2021 NIH study found resistant bacteria persist in treated water and can regrow during storage and distribution — like inside underground aquifer recharge systems.

Let that sink in:
They are injecting water that still contains remnants of fecal bacteria, viruses, and synthetic chemicals into the same groundwater our wells draw from.

And you probably weren’t even told.


🏘 Why This Is Happening in Pinal County

Pinal is the test site for this water experiment because:

  • We’re not incorporated — no city council, no water district to fight back

  • Home values are lower, meaning less political resistance

  • The land is open, but the water is gone — unless they manufacture supply on paper

That’s where HB 2753 comes in:
It gives developers and their lawyers the green light to build on paper water — using sewage-treated recharge zones to qualify for subdivision approvals.

They claim it’s science.
But it’s really just policy + marketing + lobbyist cash.


🧨 What This Means for You

Impact How It Affects You
Your well could be pulling up injected effluent If recharge basins are built nearby, that’s a real risk.
You were never asked to vote on this HB 2753 passed quietly — no local opt-out, no referendum.
Your kids are playing in parks already sprayed with this And soon, they may be drinking it.
Developers get rich — you get poisoned The water isn't for your benefit — it’s to legalize 1 million new homes.

🛡 What Can You Do?

  • 📣 Demand your HOA disclose their irrigation source — they must tell you if reclaimed water is used.

  • 📝 Demand a well testing requirement near recharge sites — currently, there’s no mandate.

  • ⚖️ Challenge local aquifer recharge permits at ADEQ hearings — public comment is open during rulemaking.

  • 📡 Share this article with your neighbors and water board contacts — this won’t be on the front page of Pinal Central.


🧾 Source Citations:

💩 Are You Playing in Crap Water? How MRSA, Antibiotic-Resistance & Reclaimed Effluent Poison Pinal County’s Parks & Your Future Water Supply

Pinal County Water💩 Are You Playing in Crap Water? MRSA, PFAS, and What Pinal County Isn’t Telling You

⚠️ Your kids and pets might be exposed to contaminated reclaimed water every day

Across Pinal County—San Tan Valley, Maricopa, Casa Grande, Florence, Coolidge, Arizona City—city parks, HOA greenbelts, and splash pads are often irrigated with Class A or B reclaimed wastewater. This treated sewage comes from sources like toilets, showers, hospitals, and industrial processes.

Although technically permitted for non-potable use, scientific evidence shows it can harbor antibiotic‑resistant bacteria and other emerging contaminants.


🧫 MRSA and Antibiotic Resistance Are Real in Reclaimed Wastewater

  • A CDC-supported study detected methicillin‑resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) in final effluent from wastewater treatment plants, along with other multidrug‑resistant bacteria.
    [Read the study → CDC]
  • MRSA can survive on playground turf, surfaces, or splash pad structures for days or even weeks. Repeated exposure increases the risk of skin infections.
    [CDC: MRSA prevention]
  • Reclaimed water often contains antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) like mecA, vanA, sul1—even after disinfection. These can persist or regrow in distribution systems.
    [NIH study on ARGs in treated water]
  • CDC research confirms environmental spread of antibiotic resistance is a top U.S. public health threat.
    [CDC: AMR Facts]

💧 What’s Happening in Pinal County?

Reclaimed water only makes up about 0.5% of total water use in Pinal County—for now. But cities and developers are expanding its use fast—especially for HOAs, irrigation, and aquifer recharge under HB 2753.

Even though it’s labeled safe for non-drinking use, state permitting rules (Arizona Admin Code Title 18) were not written with MRSA or ARGs in mind. And neither ADEQ nor your HOA may be testing for them.

The CDC and peer-reviewed studies now show what wasn’t known in the early 2000s: this water can still make people sick, especially kids and immune-compromised individuals.


🔥 Why Every Pinal Resident Should Be Concerned

  1. You’re not being told. Most residents have no idea they’re paying HOA fees for parks sprayed with treated sewage.
  2. MRSA and other resistant bacteria can survive the treatment process.
  3. These bacteria can regrow in purple pipe systems between treatment and spray heads.
  4. HB 2753 allows this water to be pumped back into aquifers—possibly near your well.

🛑 What You Can Do Right Now

🚨 Action ✅ Why It Matters
Ask your HOA or city if reclaimed effluent is used on parks or greenbelts They are legally required to tell you if asked. Push for microbial test results.
Test your private well if near an effluent recharge zone ADEQ doesn’t test private wells unless a complaint is filed. Be proactive.
Watch for ADEQ’s upcoming 2025 rule changes Public comment is your chance to demand stronger reclaimed water protections.
Tell your doctor about frequent rashes, infections, or pet illness Environmental MRSA exposure should be part of the diagnosis process.

🔎 Coming Up Next in This Series

  • Part 2: Who pushed HB 2753 — lobbyists, developers, and the Rose Law Group connection

⚠️ This Is Real Science — Not a Conspiracy

We’ve been told reclaimed water is “safe.” But the CDC, NIH, and peer-reviewed journals all confirm that antibiotic-resistant bacteria, genes, and pathogens can survive treatment and spread.

If your family is playing in it, and your aquifer could be recharged with it — you have a right to know and a right to say no.

Watchdog journalism matters. Keep reading PinalCountyNews.com and share this article.