11/14/15 - Integrating Land Use and Water Planning: Tools to Reduce the Water Footprint of New Development from CWAGAZ on Vimeo.

Communities have choices about how they grow and how much water new development uses. Building water smart from the start not only saves water but also reduces the need for investments in water, wastewater and transportation infrastructure.

In this video, Linda Stitzer, Arizona Water Policy Advisor for Western Resource Advocates, explores potential tools to shape a water-resilient future. She discusses ordinances, building codes, design policies and development incentives.

Linda explains that communities in some states require developers to “bring the water” by offsetting the water use of their development. Water conservation overlay zones, policies that promote green infrastructure, and codes that require “next-generation” efficiencies are other examples of the land use/water linkage.

Linda Stitzer works with water providers, governments and policymakers to advance water resource planning and water conservation and efficiency programs that meet both human and environmental water needs. She says, "As Arizona’s projected water demand outstrips its water supply, integrating land use and water planning is critical to growing in a way that ensures there is sufficient water for people and for the environment."