Mark Skacepek, the town’s water resources director, and Fire Chief Vance Grama presented separate but connected briefings to the Town Council on Jan. 14 about the condition and redundancy of Queen Creek’s water system and local wildfire response plans.

Skacepek said the town can currently produce about 56,000,000 gallons of water per day from 30 wells and has nine additional wells planned that would add roughly 9,000,000 gallons per day of capacity. "We can produce about 56,000,000 gallons of water a day out of 30 wells. We have 9 more planned for another 9,000,000 gallons," he said. He also said that if the system were fully opened it could flow roughly 83,000,000 gallons per day and that the town’s worst‑day peak demand is about 52,000,000 gallons per day.

Skacepek described system redundancy: looped distribution with multiple delivery sources, storage tanks placed as "shock absorbers," remote control operations for valves and pumps, and an ongoing program to add backup generator capacity across well sites. He said the system includes roughly 6,000 fire hydrants and that staff inspect or exercise about 600 hydrants annually; a full meter review is being refreshed beginning this year after the last comprehensive review in 2018. On planning for extended supply interruptions, Skacepek described options including mechanical isolation of zones, hydrant meters, curtailment of landscape irrigation, interconnects with neighboring providers (Gilbert and EPCOR) and use of irrigation district groundwater and the town’s lakes when needed.

Fire Chief Vance Grama described Queen Creek’s approach to wildland‑urban interface risks and firefighting tactics. He defined the wildland‑urban interface as "where developed areas meet undeveloped areas" and summarized the town’s risk profile, noting participation in the Maricopa County Community Wildfire Protection Plan since 2010. Grama said Queen Creek’s analysis shows most town areas are low or moderate risk; "we have no high risk areas" inside town limits, he said, and noted that higher‑risk areas lie further west and south (including the Gila River Indian Reservation). He explained that Queen Creek’s washes and hillsides burn differently from dense forest, and that tactical responses often stage units to protect exposures and use automatic‑aid agreements to bring rapid resources.

On specific fire response tools, the chief said residential and commercial sprinkler heads are the same technology but can be specified to activate at different temperatures; he also discussed the department’s use of F‑500 (an additive that improves water effectiveness) for certain battery‑involved and structure fires. When asked about LG Energy Solution’s battery facility, Grama said the town is coordinating with the company and does not consider the building itself to present a greater risk than other large commercial buildings, while noting battery‑involved vehicle fires pose different operational challenges.

Both departments emphasized coordination: the fire department credited water staff for remote pressure adjustments when firefighters need higher pressures in specific areas, and Skacepek noted plans to install generator coverage across upper‑zone wells by year end and to continue hydrant and meter maintenance practices.

The presentations were for discussion only; no council action was taken on the item.