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WESTERN RESOURCE ADVOCATES Files

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Arizona Water Meter: A Comparison of Water Conservation Programs in 15 Arizona Communities

This report highlights the water conservation programs of 15 Arizona communities and evaluates their programs by seven important water conservation criteria. The communities are Buckeye, Casa Grande, Chandler, Clarkdale, Lake Havasu City, Mesa, Payson, Peoria, Phoenix, Prescott, Safford, Scottsdale, Sierra Vista, Tucson, and Yuma. These communities represent a diverse cross-section of municipal water providers, and are varied with respect to size, budget, geographic location, ownership structure, and regulatory program. By presenting a broad sample of current conservation practices, utilities, researchers, policy makers, and local communities can make informed decisions about the possibilities that exist for improvement in their own programs. Report prepared by Western Resource Advocates. View Document.

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Estimated Water Demand and Conservation Potential of Domestic Wells in the Sierra Vista Subwatershed, Arizona

The effect of domestic wells on aquifers and streams in Arizona is not well quantified. Because these wells do not require metering, estimates of their pumpage can vary (see Section 3). Nonetheless, the total demand from domestic wells is potentially large and important to water providers, cities and counties as they plan and develop strategies to meet future water needs, including water conservation programs.
Due to the uncertainty in demand, Western Resource Advocates (WRA) contracted Plateau Resources LLC (Plateau) to develop a methodology to estimate the conservation potential of domestic wells in the Sierra Vista Subwatershed (SVS). While this study does not report a total domestic well demand for the region, it does present recent and new household estimates and identifies areas with water conservation potential. Such information may help water managers in the SVS better understand domestic well use characteristics and design and implement appropriate water conservation programs. The methodology developed here is likely also transferable to other areas of Arizona and the western United States. View Document.

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New House New Paradigm: A Model for How to Plan, Build, and Live Water-Smart

The Interior West is simultaneously the driest and fastest growing region of the United States. With an expected influx of hundreds of thousands of new residents to this region in the coming decades, it is imperative that a new style of development be implemented now — one that recognizes and embraces the distinct lack of water in this region. This report shows what this new style of development can look like and how it can succeed through the integration of smart planning, green building practices, and programs aimed at encouraging residents to live a water- smart lifestyle.
In the "New House, New Paradigm" report, Western Resource Advocates (WRA) describes the nexus between land use and water demands and offers a model for how water-smart growth can meet both the housing needs of our new residents and preserve our natural rivers and water- sheds. The model addresses water conservation and efficiency in the planning, building, and living phases of new residential development. WRA highlights existing water-smart developments throughout the region as case studies to demonstrate the feasibility of this new growth style and to highlight water conservation successes. View Document.

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Urban Sprawl: Impacts on Urban Water Use

Patterns of urban and suburban growth on the landscape are closely connected to water use. Over a specific geographic area, water-efficient land development can save significant quantities of water while less efficient land development—sprawl—often results in wasteful use. As populations and urban/suburban land development continue to expand across the Southwest, we should explore this connection closely. Report published by Western Resource Advocates. View Document.