Global Water Files DAWS Applications to Expand Assured Water Supply and Support Long-Term Growth in GW-Santa Cruz and GW-Ocotillo Service Areas

PHOENIX, June 24, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Global Water Resources, Inc. (NASDAQ: GWRS), a pure-play water resource management company, today announced that its subsidiaries, Global Water – Santa Cruz Water Company, Inc. (GW-Santa Cruz) and Global Water – Ocotillo Water Company, Inc. (GW-Ocotillo), have recently filed Designation of Assured Water Supply (DAWS) applications with the Arizona Department of Water Resources (ADWR). If approved, the applications would expand the assured water supply in portions of the company’s service areas and support additional anticipated long-term residential and commercial growth.

GW-Santa Cruz, the company’s largest water utility, serving one of the fastest-growing areas in Pinal County, Arizona, has an existing assured water supply of 22,914 acre-feet per year from the Maricopa-Stanfield Sub-basin aquifer, which underlies the City of Maricopa just south of Phoenix—one of the largest supplies in the region. This existing assured water supply has provided a strong foundation for growth in and around the City of Maricopa. It is a city of approximately 78,000 residents, up from approximately 1,000 residents at incorporation in 2003. The city used 12,156 acre-feet in 2025, representing just over 50% of GW-Santa Cruz’s existing assured water supply of 22,914 acre-feet per year.         

The new DAWS application for GW-Santa Cruz seeks to increase its assured water supply from 22,914 acre-feet to 27,466 acre-feet, or approximately 20% above the current designation. Global Water estimates this would allow for growth in and around the City of Maricopa to approximately 177,000 residents, more than double today’s population. The proposed increase is driven by additional recycled water supplies including from the company’s Southwest Plant and the proposed use of Groundwater Savings Credits under Arizona’s Ag-to-Urban program, which together are intended to broaden the utility’s water resource portfolio and support future development across its northern and southwestern service areas.

Arizona’s Ag-to-Urban program is intended to facilitate the transition of agricultural land to urban development while reducing long-term groundwater demand. In January 2026, a developer in GW-Santa Cruz’s service area filed its initial application with ADWR under the new Ag-to-Urban program for the conversion of agricultural land to urban development that allows for the creation of Groundwater Savings Credits. If approved, the proposed credits could be applied as part of the DAWS process to support additional assured water supply, consistent with Arizona’s evolving water policy framework.

For GW-Ocotillo, which serves approximately 2,000 water service connections in and around Pima County, Arizona, consisting of seven water systems acquired from the City of Tucson in 2025, the company filed a DAWS application for assured water supply of 1,128 acre-feet.

Taken together, the two DAWS applications have the potential to meaningfully expand Global Water’s long-term water resource position in Arizona, and the company believes that the proposed additional assured water supply would support resilient growth for the foreseeable future. Global Water recently reported that active service connections increased 5.7% year over year to 68,885 as of March 31, 2026.

The company anticipates decisions on the GW-Santa Cruz and GW-Ocotillo DAWS applications by the fourth quarter of 2027.

“The pending DAWS applications for GW-Santa Cruz and GW-Ocotillo reflect the importance of proactive water resource planning in supporting responsible growth across our service territories,” said Ron Fleming, president and CEO of Global Water Resources. “If approved, these designations would further expand our ability to serve residential and commercial development while benefiting customers and the communities we serve through long-term water security, recycled water utilization and regional planning.”

The pending GW-Santa Cruz and GW-Ocotillo DAWS applications reflect Global Water’s strategy of pairing disciplined water resource management with community growth in Arizona. The company believes these actions underscore its commitment to supporting customers, developers and municipalities with sustainable water, wastewater and recycled water solutions across its service areas.

About Global Water Resources

Global Water Resources, Inc. is a leading water resource management company that owns and operates 39 systems which provide water, wastewater, and recycled water service. The company’s service areas are located primarily in growth corridors around metropolitan Phoenix and Tucson. Global Water recycles over 1 billion gallons of water annually with 19.8 billion gallons recycled since 2004.

The company has been recognized for its highly effective implementation of Total Water Management (TWM). TWM is an integrated approach to managing the entire water cycle that involves owning and operating water, wastewater and recycled water utilities within the same geographic area in order to maximize the beneficial use of recycled water. It enables smart water management programs such as remote metering infrastructure and other advanced technologies, rate designs, and incentives that result in real conservation. TWM helps protect water supplies in water-scarce areas experiencing population growth.

Global Water has received numerous industry awards, including national recognition as a ‘Utility of the Future Today’ for its superior water reuse practices by a national consortium of water and conservation organizations led by the Water Environment Federation (WEF). The company also received Cityworks’ Excellence in Departmental Practice Award for demonstrating leadership and creativity in applying public asset management strategies to daily operations and long-term planning.

To learn more, visit www.gwresources.com.

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

Certain statements in this press release include certain forward-looking statements within the meaning of applicable securities laws which reflect the company's expectations regarding future events. These forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements about our strategies; expectations about future business plans, prospective performance, growth, and opportunities, including the potential for new service connections; future financial performance; regulatory and Arizona Corporation Commission (ACC) proceedings, decisions and approvals, such as the outcome, timing and other statements regarding our plans, expectations and estimates relating to our rate cases and other applications with the ACC and other regulatory bodies, including with respect to the recently filed DAWS applications for GW-Santa Cruz and GW-Ocotillo; our plans relating to future filings of our rate cases and other regulatory applications; acquisition plans and strategies, including our ability to complete additional acquisitions, and our expectations about future benefits of our acquisitions, such as projected revenue from our acquisitions, as well as our plans relating to the integration and upgrade of acquired water systems; statements concerning Arizona’s Assured Water Supply “Ag-to-Urban” program, including anticipated benefits; population and growth projections; technologies, including expected benefits from implementing such technologies; revenue; metrics; operating expenses; trends relating to our industry, market, population and job growth, and housing permits; the adequacy of our water supply to service our current demand and growth for the foreseeable future; liquidity and capital resources; plans and expectations for capital expenditures; cash flows and uses of cash; dividends; depreciation and amortization; tax payments; our ability to repay indebtedness and invest in initiatives; the anticipated impact and resolutions of legal matters; the anticipated impact of new or proposed laws, including regulatory requirements, tax changes, and judicial decisions; the anticipated impact of accounting changes and other pronouncements; and other statements that are not historical facts, as well as statements identified by words such as "expects", "anticipates", "intends", "plans", "believes", "seeks", "estimates", or the negative of these terms, or other words of similar meaning. These statements are based on our current beliefs or expectations and are inherently subject to a number of risks, uncertainties, and assumptions, most of which are difficult to predict and many of which are beyond our control. Actual results may differ materially from these expectations due to changes in political, economic, business, market, regulatory, and other factors. Factors that may also affect future results are disclosed under the headings “Risk Factors” and “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” in our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC"), which are available at the SEC's website at www.sec.gov. This includes, but is not limited to, our most recently filed periodic reports on Form 10-K and Form 10-Q and subsequent filings with the SEC. Accordingly, investors are cautioned not to place undue reliance on any forward-looking statements, which reflect management’s views as of the date hereof. We undertake no obligation to publicly update any forward-looking statement, except as required by law, whether as a result of new information, future developments or otherwise.