Arizona Water Conservation Factsheets ... Did You Know?
For small community water systems (SCWS), voluntary water conservation programs are critical to regional groundwater sustainability
Arizona has been in a drought since the 1990s. Today, increasing temperatures, a growing population, and declining groundwater levels exacerbate the scarcity of our state’s water resources. In Active Management Areas (AMAs), the state strictly regulates water use, but in areas outside AMAs — often small or rural communities — adopting conservation or efficiency programs is optional.
Small community water systems (SCWS) usually lose water in one of two ways: within the distribution system or at point of use, when water becomes available to customers. SCWS with aging infrastructure can lose up to 30% of their water supply in-system through leaks, inaccurate metering, and unbilled use. Among residential customers, most point-of-use water waste occurs in landscape irrigation.
The first-line water conservation strategy SCWS can use is conducting a water audit to detect any leaks in the system. Metering water, or charging for the amount of water used instead of charging a flat rate, can encourage customers to take the initiative to conserve. Educating customers about the need to save water can also help; some water systems have seen a more than 20% reduction in customer water use in response to awareness campaigns.
View the SCWS Conservation Factsheet