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Teaching new generations about saving water can range from running full loads, using WaterSense appliances, turning off the faucet to brush your teeth, and ensuring fixtures and appliances are working well.

Building on Our Water-Saving Legacy to Create a Sustainable Future

Open Tucson Water’s Desert Dweller Guide and you’ll understand why our community is one of the most water-resilient cities in the Southwest. Here are ways you – and Tucson Water – continue to build on our community’s 4,000-year-old legacy of saving every precious drop in a challenging desert environment: 

• We plan and invest in renewable water resources. Throughout most of the 20th century, Tucson was 100% dependent on pumping water out of the aquifer. In the 1960s and ‘70s, the City purchased and retired farmlands in Avra Valley to stop groundwater pumping and secure water rights. Decades later, Tucson Water has $2 billion invested in a system that recharges and stores Colorado River water as our primary source of drinking water. Today we save water via conservation, use Colorado River water and recycled water, and continue to expand use of rain and stormwater.
• We are strategically expanding the different ways we use reclaimed water. Tucson was one of the first cities in the nation to treat wastewater and use it, instead of drinking water, to irrigate golf courses and parks on a large scale. With the Sweetwater Wetlands, the Southeast Houghton Area Recharge Project, and the Santa Cruz River Heritage Project, we can now recharge and store a maximum of 6.5 billion gallons of recycled water a year.
• We fund high-impact conservation programs. In 2008, based on positive public input and passed by Mayor and Council, Tucson Water launched a monthly water conservation surcharge dedicated to conservation education, rebates, and incentives. Building on this success, in May 2020, Tucson Water customers who live within the city limits began paying a small surcharge on their utility statement to fund the Storm to Shade program for the construction and maintenance of green stormwater infrastructure in public spaces.
• We enthusiastically participate in Tucson Water’s conservation program. A large portion of our community has accessed efficiency rebates and incentives, learned about conservation via an education partner, and opted for a free water audit. The result to-date: saving more than 5 billion gallons of tap water.
• We are flexible, expanding conservation policy and programs to respond to challenges. Recent changes include offering free conservation kits, online rebate applications, banning ornamental turf on commercial properties, revamping the rainwater harvesting rebate, creating new customer self-help tools, and approving water-saving fixtures for new developments.

Behind the Scenes

Take the Desert Dweller online quiz to test your water-saving creds. It’ll take less than 4 minutes to complete and maybe you’ll win one of three $25 Tucson Originals gift cards. We even provide a link where you can find quiz answers.

Reporting Water Waste is Easy

The City’s Water Waste Ordinance establishes that water should be used efficiently in landscapes, and that timely repairs are made to broken irrigation systems. Water waste is defined as allowing water to escape from a private property onto another property, alley, or street.

You may have noticed water in a street or on a sidewalk and wondered how the City addresses potential water waste.    

A Tucson Water conservation expert, a Zanjero, will respond to a water waste report within the utility service area. Their priority is educating customers by sharing best practices about appropriate watering schedules and irrigation system maintenance. If a water waste report is determined to be a violation, the customer is asked to resolve the issue within two weeks, or they may receive a citation. Because our community takes water waste seriously, customers almost always correct the problem before a citation is issued.

If you see water waste, you can report it in three ways:

1. Email us at WaterWaste@tucsonaz.gov
2. Leave a message at (520) 791-2514
3. Submit an online request via the SeeClickFix Tucson app

“Where can I find out more about making Tucson a greener, cooler, and more sustainable home?”

Go to climateaction.tucsonaz.gov to see how the City – working with neighborhoods, nonprofits, elected officials, advocacy groups, utilities, and partners – is taking action to ensure Tucson has a resilient future. This hubsite offers reports, tips, and ways you can get involved with:

• Storm to Shade green infrastructure program
• Tucson Million Trees
• Resilient Together Climate Action Plan
• Electric Vehicles
• Solar Tucson
• Team Up to Clean Up
• Resilient Southwest Building Code Initiative

City of Tucson
Environmental Services

5 Ways to Be a Neat Neighbor

Here are 5 ways a neat neighbor avoids code violations and helps to make their home and neighborhood cleaner and safer:

1. Trim weeds & grass
2. Limit or screen outside storage
3. Store & screen junk vehicles
4. Trim encroaching plants
5. Stop illegal dumping

Learn more about City codes and regulations, plus access an online complaint form at https://bit.ly/
3OjhWUz

Pima County
Wastewater Reclamation

Do You Qualify for a Sewer Bill Discount?

If you’re away from your home for an extended time, you may qualify for a discounted monthly sewer service fee. Contact Customer Services at (520) 724-6609 to schedule in advance or submit an online request form at pima.gov/1893/Sewer-Billing-Suspension

Water Matters is a monthly newsletter brought to you by Tucson Water