Tempe: Water Facility Upgrades Put 800-Year-Old Hohokam Village on the Line

A clash between drought resilience and ancient heritage

Tempe is moving forward with upgrades to the Kyrene Water Reclamation Facility. The project aims to expand reclaimed-water storage as the region faces continued Colorado River cutbacks. But the work sits next to Los Guanacos, a well-documented Hohokam village site occupied roughly between 1150 and 1400 A.D.

Archaeologists and tribal preservationists warn the construction could disturb the site where the Ancestral O’odham people once lived.

"It's considered historically significant. It's also been determined eligible for the National Register of Historic Places," said Zachary Lechner, Tempe’s historic preservation officer.

The stakes for the site

Los Guanacos (designated AZ U:9:116) has been on archaeologists’ radar for more than a century. City of Tempe historic-resources files trace a long history of investigation in the Kyrene and Elliot Road area. Past excavation reports describe courtyard groups, midden deposits, and other finds that make the site scientifically significant, according to Hoodline.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has determined that ground disturbance near the archaeological site could harm artifacts or other deposits. The agency has consulted with Arizona tribes and will monitor the city’s construction with the goal of protecting cultural resources, according to KJZZ.

What Tempe’s policy requires

Lechner says the city’s treatment plan for historic properties requires ground disturbance monitoring. City policy mandates archaeological monitoring within an archaeological site and within 250 feet of an archaeological site when it is on city land, he said.

Work on archaeological sites must stop within certain distances if cultural resources or ancestral remains are encountered, Lechner said. The Tempe Historic Preservation Office helps ensure compliance with that requirement.

Why Tempe is pushing the work

City leaders frame the Kyrene upgrades as part of a broader push to increase local reuse and recharge capacity. Tempe needs to store reclaimed water for future recovery while the region navigates ongoing reductions in Colorado River supplies, according to Hoodline.

Federal and local officials have sought funding for recharge wells and pipeline construction. Rep. Greg Stanton’s office lists awards that supported the Kyrene recharge well and related pipeline projects, Hoodline reported.

What to watch next

With the Army Corps involved, construction monitoring and tribal consultation will be central to whether the Kyrene project proceeds without harming cultural resources. Key signals include:

• Permit filings
• Memoranda of agreement that spell out mitigation
• Public statements from tribal historic preservation offices or the city clarifying where trenches, grading, or recharge work will occur

Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act requires consultation with State Historic Preservation Officers, Tribal Historic Preservation Officers, and other consulting parties when federal agencies or federal permits are in play. Where adverse effects are likely, that process must include the development of mitigation agreements, according to Hoodline.

Tribal representatives and preservation advocates have signaled they plan to watch excavation and grading closely, given the site’s cultural importance.